Beiyuan City, Commander's Mansion.
Several burly men wearing straw hats and with their heads down, squatted in the alley outside the commander's mansion, with a few loads of goods beside them.
Zhao Yuan was returning from Shifeng City when he saw several burly men in the alley. He frowned, and his attendant immediately stepped forward and whispered:
"What are you guys doing squatting here! Go to the back door!"
"Yes, yes, yes!"
Several burly men quickly agreed, picked up their loads, and followed the attendant through the back door.
Inside the mansion, in the back room, Zhao Yuan sat upright in a chair, looking at the several burly men, his eyes slightly narrowed, and said:
"Didn't I tell you not to come to my residence so easily? Too many people will attract unwanted attention; don't you understand this principle?"
The burly man at the head of the group took off his straw hat, revealing a scarred face, and sneered:
"General, we had no choice but to come."
"These are some little trinkets for you."
As he spoke, he lifted a corner of the black cloth covering the bamboo basket, revealing a shimmering silver light inside.
Zhao Yuan waved his hand, and his attendant took the load and carried it away.
"Speak, what is it?" Zhao Yuan said calmly.
"General, we have received news that the Prince of Zhenbei entered Beiliang today, claiming to be there to wipe out bandits within the territory. Is this true or false?"
Zhao Yuan nodded slightly, "Of course, otherwise why would the court send him here?"
Upon hearing this, the scarred man and his companions exchanged glances, their faces showing panic.
The scarred man said in a trembling voice, "General, we have been following you for a long time, and we have been sending you the silver we robbed every month on time. This Prince of Zhenbei wants to wipe us out, you must stand up for us!"
Zhao Yuan's face turned cold, and he rebuked in a low voice:
"What's the panic! A mere Prince of Zhenbei in name only has scared you all?"
Scarface trembled, not daring to reply, and simply lowered his head.
Zhao Yuan picked up his teacup, took a small sip, and then chuckled softly.
"I'll only reveal one piece of information to you: the imperial court didn't give him any troops. This time, the Prince of Zhenbei only brought his eight hundred personal guards with him to Beiliang."
"However... if he recruits the people of Shifeng City and trains them into soldiers, there will be many more... At that time, I'm afraid you... hehe."
As soon as he finished speaking, Scarface's heart skipped a beat, and he thought to himself:
The commander-in-chief said that the Prince of Zhenbei only brought eight hundred personal guards into Beiliang. Doesn't that mean he is now weak and alone?
If he gains an army in the future, that will be troublesome.
Now, before he gains power, it would be wonderful to strike first and nip him in the bud here.
Since the Commander-in-Chief has revealed this news, it seems that he also intends for the Prince of Zhenbei to die.
Thinking of this, Scarface's face turned sinister. He looked up at Zhao Yuan and made a throat-slitting gesture.
Zhao Yuan smiled slightly, said nothing, and picked up his teacup to drink tea.
Seeing that Zhao Yuan made no response, Scarface pondered for a moment, and then suddenly realized what was going on.
The Commander-in-Chief is an official appointed by the imperial court. How dare he say something like killing the Prince of Zhenbei? It seems he wants to use us to get rid of the Prince of Zhenbei.
However, no matter what, the Prince of Zhenbei must die! If he doesn't die, we will all die at his hands once he has gained enough power!
Since that's the case, it's better to kill them first and eliminate any future trouble!
Thinking of this, Scarface smiled and nodded, bowing slightly as he said:
"Thank you for the news, Commander. It's getting late, so I won't disturb you any longer. I'll take my leave now."
Zhao Yuan nodded.
The burly men left immediately. Zhao Yuan put down his teacup, smiled, and shook his head.
"Qin Ze, Qin Ze, surrounded by tigers and wolves, this Stone Peak City will be your final resting place..."
........
Rejecting Beichuan, Shuangqishan.
Although the sun had already set over the mountains, the Black Tiger Stronghold was still brightly lit.
Inside the council hall, the three chieftains of the Jubeichuan stronghold gathered together, all with solemn expressions and remaining silent.
A moment later, several burly men walked in from outside. The one in the lead was none other than the scarred-faced man, Wang Meng, the leader of Black Tiger Stronghold!
As soon as he entered, Zhao Dayou, the chief of Qingfeng Village, immediately asked, "Chief Wang, you're finally back! We've been waiting anxiously for you."
Wang Meng looked relaxed, a smile playing on his lips, and said slowly and deliberately:
"I'm sorry to have kept you all waiting."
"According to reliable sources, although the title of Prince Qin Ze is impressive, he is all talk and no action, just a paper tiger. You all don't need to worry."
Wolf Head Stronghold Chief Zhu Fu stroked his chin, puzzled, and asked, "What exactly happened? Chief Wang, please explain."
Wang Meng smiled faintly and said, "Guess how many troops the imperial court gave him for this campaign against Beiliang?"
As soon as he finished speaking, Zhao Dayou of Qingfeng Village frowned. "Chief Wang, stop beating around the bush and just say what you have to say!"
"Everyone's saying that the Prince of Zhenbei is going to wipe us out. Right now, he's using Jubeichuan as his base and has entered Shifeng City. We'll be the first to be affected. If he makes a move, we should avoid his attacks as soon as possible!"
Wang Meng shook his head and laughed disdainfully:
"Hehe, Chief Zhao, don't worry, you can get a good night's sleep tonight."
"This time when he entered Beiliang, the imperial court didn't give him a single soldier; he only has eight hundred personal guards! What can he do to us? Hahahaha!"
Upon hearing this, everyone looked surprised.
Immediately, a burst of laughter erupted, and everyone at the table smiled and slapped the table while laughing.
"Eight hundred personal guards? That's laughable! What kind of Prince Zhenbei is this? Haha."
"This number of men is less than the number of men in my Wolf Head Stronghold. It seems that the Prince of Zhenbei has been expelled from the capital by the dog court. Haha, this is practically exile."
"Eight hundred men dare to shout that they will wipe out all the bandits in Beiliang territory? It's laughable! I heard that this Prince of Zhenbei is only eighteen years old. I thought he was something special, but he's just a young brat! Haha."
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