At that moment, Wei Zhongbao's heart was bleeding.

He's only heard about how good the wine is, but he's never even smelled it!

"Come on, Leopard Brother, let's drink! Today, the three of us brothers won't leave until we're drunk!"

Wei Zhong'e seemed to notice the change in Wei Zhongbao's expression, and quickly raised his wine glass in a toast. Then, without waiting for Wei Zhongbao's reaction, he drank it all in one gulp.

The wine in their hands was considered a fine brew among the Tiger Warriors.

Even people outside the area can't get their hands on it!

Having tasted the wine from Forget-Worry Valley once, this wine now tastes like water, not even a tenth as good as the wine from Forget-Worry Valley.

Something is better than nothing!

"Alright, brother! We're not leaving until we're drunk!"

Wei Zhonghu also raised his glass and drank it down.

Wei Zhongbao was thus fooled by his two older brothers, and the matter was never mentioned again.

Little did they know that the shopkeeper they so desperately wanted to get to know was actually Sun Jian.

If the three brothers knew that Sun Jian was the boss behind the scenes, they would probably be so angry they'd vomit blood on the spot.

...

Kyoto City, East Palace.

Yesterday, after Sun Jian left the Tiger Warriors camp, he and Gu Hu rushed to the capital without stopping.

Since the two of them set off close to midnight yesterday, it was almost dawn when they arrived in Kyoto.

Sun Jian always acted swiftly and decisively. After entering the city, he and Gu Hu split into two groups.

He sent Gu Hu back to the Sun residence to let his three wives know he was safe and sound, and to conceal his whereabouts.

On the other side, Sun Jian rode alone to the Eastern Palace to meet the Crown Prince.

He came here for no other reason than to borrow troops.

When Crown Prince Li Gancheng learned that Sun Jian had arrived, he immediately ordered Liu Jin to welcome Sun Jian in.

In the main hall, Li Gancheng was overjoyed to see Sun Jian, as if he were seeing an old friend he hadn't seen for many years.

Little did they know that the two had only been apart for four or five days.

He knew in his heart that Sun Jian must have something important to discuss with him when he came to see him at the hour of Mao (5-7 AM).

After exchanging a few pleasantries, Sun Jian got straight to the point.

"Your Highness, I have uncovered the problems within the Tiger Legion."

Upon hearing Sun Jian's words, even Crown Prince Li Gancheng was taken aback.

His eyes lit up. He hadn't expected Sun Jian to be so outstanding not only in other aspects, but also in handling official business so quickly.

"Oh? Really?"

"Um!"

Sun Jian smiled and nodded seriously.

Crown Prince Li Gancheng laughed heartily, his excitement barely concealed.

"I told you, my brother Sun, if you come to see me at dawn, I will definitely have a great gift for you!"

"Hahaha!"

Li Gancheng changed his usual form of address to Sun Jian by using "I" instead of "this palace" in front of Sun Jian, to show his closeness to Sun Jian.

This was more than just a great gift for Crown Prince Li Gancheng; it was practically the foundation that solidified his position on the throne!

Leaving aside the Imperial Guards within the palace.

Within a hundred miles of Kyoto, there were only three armies: the Tiger Guard, the Dragon Cavalry, and the Left and Right Guards.

The Longxiang Camp is under the control of his imperial uncle, now known as Prince Kaoshan, Li Shiliang, which can be disregarded.

Although the Tiger Warriors and the Left and Right Guards were both part of the Emperor's army, almost all the generals, big and small, in the army were subordinates of Wei Xian.

Whether Prime Minister Lin Xuanfu has sided with the Second Prince Li Chengru is uncertain for the Crown Prince.

However, there is no doubt that Wei Xian, the Minister of War, is a man of the Second Prince Li Chengru!

Although the Second Prince and the Crown Prince are still on good terms in public, they are secretly at odds.

The battle between the two will inevitably end in a life-or-death struggle!

Furthermore, military power has always been the most powerful of all powers! It is supreme!

Being Wei Xian's man means being the Second Prince's man.

As a result, apart from the support of the court officials, he, as the crown prince, had almost no personal guards of his own.

With one army inside and two outside, and three armies in total, including two that the Second Prince almost exclusively controlled, how could Li Gancheng not be terrified?

Although Li Gancheng still has the support of Yao Tianzheng's Yongzhou troops, if something happens suddenly, he might fall into the enemy's hands before Yao Tianzheng can lead the Yongzhou troops to the capital to defend the emperor...

Crown Prince Li Gancheng was anxious about these matters every day, feeling as if a fishbone was stuck in his throat, or a sharp sword hanging over his head.

While the Emperor is alive, there may be no worries, but if the Emperor passes away and the Second Prince Li Chengru chooses to take a desperate gamble and stage a military coup, then his chances of winning are less than one in ten!

Fortunately, Sun Jian appeared during this crisis!

Sun Jian was his brother, his tutor, and now he had become the deputy commander of the Tiger Warriors! He was the second-in-command in the army.

Keep in mind that the Tiger Legion has a full 30,000 elite soldiers!

Moreover, the Tiger Warriors are the strongest of the three armies and the closest to the capital.

Although its mobility is not as good as the Longxiang Battalion, which is composed entirely of cavalry, its overall capabilities are far greater than the sum of the Longxiang Battalion and the Left and Right Guards!

If Li Gancheng had the military power of the Tiger Legion, he would be able to handle any situation without worry in the future!

Sun Jian's purpose in going to the Tiger Warriors was already known at Yao Tianzheng's residence.

I never expected to achieve so much in less than a week...

Sun Jian was truly a genius!

Once the issues surrounding the Tiger Legion are investigated and verified, the Wei brothers will have to step down immediately!

Sun Jian became the sole commander of the Tiger Warriors!

By then, not only will Crown Prince Li Gancheng have military power, but the opposing forces of the Second Prince's faction will also be severely weakened.

Sun Jian rushed over to tell him the good news before dawn.

How could this not excite him!

"Brother Sun, what exactly is the problem in the Tiger Warriors? Tell me quickly."

Li Gancheng could not hide his excitement and grabbed Sun Jian's hand, hurriedly asking questions.

Sun Jian didn't waste any time and explained his findings and reasoning to Li Gan in detail.

The more Li Gancheng listened, the more gloomy his expression became, and the smile on his lips disappeared.

Of course, his disappearance was simply because the Wei brothers were too audacious; privately raising troops was a crime of treason!

"Brother Sun, is this really true?"

Li Gancheng frowned deeply, repeatedly confirming the authenticity of the news with Sun Jian.

Sun Jian nodded and only replied with four words.

"Absolutely accurate!"

Sun Jian originally wanted to say, "Nine out of ten."

But then he thought, the atmosphere had been built up to this point, and if he suddenly said something that didn't match Li Gancheng's angry expression, it wouldn't be appropriate.

Although he did not witness it firsthand, based on numerous clues and inferences, this matter is almost certainly true.

Moreover, Sun Jian was certain that the emperor and Yao Tianzheng knew something about this matter...

Those two old geezers are no pushovers!

"Those damned Wei brothers! Damn Wei Xian!"

"They have no respect for the emperor, they are incredibly audacious, and deserve to die a hundred times over!"

"After such an incident, even executing the entire Wei family wouldn't be too much!"

Maintaining a private army is a serious crime in any dynasty!

Even if you do nothing, you'll be accused of treason!

Otherwise, what are you planning to do by privately raising troops?