Chapter 142
Yu Chen was still very convinced of Yao Chunnuan's judgment, and he also felt that it was very risky, "If the prince escapes, after this incident, he will not immediately send a large army to encircle us?" This really is the case that if you don't plan for the future, you will have immediate worries.
"No." Yao Chunnuan said with certainty.
Even if the Crown Prince desperately wanted to annihilate them, Daliang lacked the resources to wage war on multiple fronts. Furthermore, they benefited from a geographical advantage. Yichun lay northeast of Daliang, a remote region. Compared to the Ruyin Prince, entrenched in the heart of the Central Plains, the Ruyin Prince was a serious threat, while the others were merely minor inconveniences. Daliang's firepower would undoubtedly be focused on the Ruyin Prince. After all, he was the primary culprit, and he would undoubtedly bear the brunt of the consequences. It would be unreasonable for Daliang not to target him.
As soon as Yao Chunnuan finished speaking, she was slapped in the face.
"Report!" The messenger came galloping on a fast horse with a report in his hand. When he arrived at the flag of the Xing family army, he quickly dismounted and was brought to Yao Chunnuan and Yu Chen.
"Reporting to Chief Secretary Yao Zhubo, the imperial court has issued an imperial decree, declaring the Prince of Ruyin, the Prince of Annan, and General Xing Changfeng to be traitors. The imperial court will soon divide its troops into three groups and send them to quell the rebellion!"
Yao Chunnuan rubbed his forehead. How could he have forgotten about the Third Prince? Since the imperial court had decided to launch a multi-front war, they had nothing to fear. The imperial court was short of troops anyway. Moreover, if the crown prince truly fled back to the capital, military deployment would undoubtedly prioritize certain areas. As I said before, there was no way Yichun would be the one to receive the most attention.
Yao Chunnuan thought for a moment and said, "Go, inform the city lord!"
The city lord has gone to chase the prince and others, and he must have left some marks along the way. I don’t know if the signalman can catch up with them, but it would be best if he can.
In Yao Chunnuan's opinion, even if the two sides were to fight, the Crown Prince would certainly demonstrate his magnanimity and persuade the City Lord to surrender in order to regain his righteous side. This official report was a perfect slap in his face.
The prince, Xing Changfeng and others chased each other and arrived at the junction of Yichun and Jiachuan. Any further would be out of the jurisdiction of Yichun.
For the prince and others, if they went a little further, there would be someone to pick them up and they would be safe.
The prince ignored his bleeding arm and looked back proudly at Xing Changfeng and the other pursuers. "Xing Changfeng, are you sure you want to be that traitor and sinner forever? I can give you one last chance. As long as you surrender to Daliang, I will forgive you for your past mistakes!"
Xing Changfeng spoke nonchalantly, "There is no prince here, only a thief pretending to be the prince. You bold thief, why don't you surrender quickly?" As he spoke, he made a wooden bow, put down the long wooden bow, stretched out his hand, and his subordinates put a bow and arrow in his hand.
Seeing the other party pick up the bow, the prince's heart sank. "It seems you are determined to go down this path! You must think carefully. This is a road of no return. I advise you to turn back, not only for yourself, but also for your family!"
Xing Changfeng said nothing, but drew his longbow and aimed at the prince. "Those who steal hooks will die, those who steal a country will be made a marquis. Now that he's rebelled, there's no turning back."
At this moment, a rider came galloping over from a distance, "My Lord City Lord—My Lord City Lord—the imperial court has issued an order to suppress the rebellion. The imperial court is sending troops to Ruyin, Annan, and Yichun at the same time!"
Xing Changfeng sneered, "Prince, I wonder which one is true and which one is false between this decree issued by the court and what you just said?" As he spoke, Xing Changfeng gradually pulled the longbow to its full length.
The prince's face was gloomy, and he felt a mouthful of blood rushing up his throat. Needless to say, this decree must have come from the third brother! A guy who is not good at anything, but always makes trouble!
The political significance of the risk he took this time was completely destroyed by a piece of imperial edict!
He had it all planned out. Once he safely escaped Yichun, he would issue an imperial decree, announcing to the world: He, the Crown Prince of Daliang, had risked his life for Daliang, traveled deep into Yichun to persuade Xing Changfeng, but failed and was pursued by him. So, after escaping Yichun, he would expose their vagrant ambitions! Then, he would seize the opportunity to issue an imperial decree to quell the rebellion, thus cementing his image as a crown prince who cherished loyal and virtuous people.
In this way, Xing Changfeng could no longer claim that they were forced to rebel by the imperial court. Without righteousness, Xing Changfeng would be like the two kings of different surnames, each of them a disloyal, unfilial, and traitor! Everyone in the world can kill them! It would be much easier to deal with them later.
Unfortunately, this imperial edict caught him off guard.
All the arrangements are meaningless.
The prince's plans were disrupted again by the regent. The prince's ministers all lowered their heads, their hearts filled with anger.
It wasn't that the Crown Prince didn't want to make the announcement as planned. However, the time difference between when Xing Changfeng was pursuing him and when the imperial edict was issued left him no room for maneuver. He couldn't explain why Xing Changfeng had left him alone for a few days and then pursued him later.
Now that the imperial edict to suppress the rebellion was in front, it was certain that he would be hunted down. It seemed as if he deserved it!
The prince's face was livid. He had had enough! There could no longer be another voice in the court!
The prince's chief guard looked at Xing Changfeng warily, "Your Highness, let's go!" Xing Changfeng's longbow was almost drawn to its limit. If he didn't leave, it would be too late.
The prince said in a deep voice, "Let's go!" As for Xing Changfeng's bow and the arrows shot at him? Someone would block them for him.
The moment the prince turned around, Xing Changfeng's arrow also shot out.
The prince was well protected by several secret guards who were left behind.
Xing Changfeng watched with regret as the arrow pierced through the two secret guards and was unable to move forward.
Xing Changfeng stood there, holding a bow, watching the prince and others leave, and gradually disappeared from their sight.
"Let's go back." Xing Changfeng was quite open-minded. They had done their best, chasing the prince all the way. Ultimately, they hadn't been able to capture him. All they could say was that he wasn't destined to die.
Yao Chunnuan and the others got some food to eat, and soon after they finished, Xing Changfeng and the others returned. As Yao Chunnuan had expected, their city lord had not been able to keep the prince.
Marshal Zhu felt mixed emotions about this result. He couldn't tell whether he should be relieved or regretful about the failure of Xing Changfeng and others.
Now that the matter here was done and the City Lord had returned, they prepared to return. They had just taken possession of the territory, and there was still much work to do in the City Lord's Mansion, so they couldn't delay any longer.
Before leaving, Yao Chunnuan joked, "Marshal Zhu, we're back. Do you want to come with us?"
Marshal Zhu had only one word for her: "Get lost!" She wanted to take him and his Yichun camp away with just a few words? She wished!
"Then, the mountains remain unchanged, the water flows forever, and we'll meet again."
After returning to the main city of Yichun, Yao Chunnuan and others clearly felt that the atmosphere in the main city was a bit depressed.
The reason is very obvious. The imperial edict to quell the rebellion caused panic among the people.
How to appease? Only magic can defeat magic. No words could bring peace of mind like a grand and comprehensive reward.
As the saying goes, money can give courage, but power, or official position, is something even better than money. The stimulation of money and power can inspire people and make them forget their worries.
Therefore, great rewards are now urgent.
Yao Chunnuan and Yu Chen discussed it and decided to count the military achievements of the soldiers tonight and give them rewards early tomorrow morning.
Furthermore, upon their return, they posted a notice announcing the results of their negotiations with Marshal Zhu. The notice primarily announced the establishment of New Yichun. The main city of Yichun, the Yichun military settlement, and three counties and seven towns, totaling seven-tenths of the original Yichun territory, were to be designated New Yichun. However, the three ceded towns and the Yichun main camp were not part of New Yichun's jurisdiction.
To be honest, the definition of the new Yichun made Marshal Zhu feel both relieved and a little disappointed.
The establishment of New Yichun exposed the agreement between the two parties to the public. Upon learning that the three towns, which had been assigned to Marshal Zhu, were no longer under the jurisdiction of the Yichun City Lord's Office, the residents packed up and moved out. They moved from the three towns to the jurisdiction of New Yichun.
Zhu Dashuai's face darkened when he heard this. What? Do you think he's Ray-Ban? So you don't think highly of him?
However, the common people voted with their feet, indicating that compared to him, they were more optimistic about the ability of the senior officials of the Yichun City Lord's Mansion to govern the local area.
*****
The Prince of Ruyin received news that the Crown Prince had advanced deep into Yichun, only to be hunted down by Xing Changfeng and his men as a thief. They praised Xing Changfeng's decisive action as ruthless and decisive. It was a pity, however, that they were unable to capture the Crown Prince permanently.
With Sima Xian's wisdom, upon hearing that the Crown Prince had appeared in Yichun at this time, he deduced that the Crown Prince had definitely not gone to Yichun after Xing Changfeng's rebellion. Therefore, the timing and reason for his visit were worth pondering. With this deduction, he guessed all the answers.
A flicker of surprise flashed across his eyes. At that moment, both sides were racing against time, and it was clear that Yao Chunnuan and her team had won, while the Crown Prince had lost. Thinking of the thrill of it all, Sima Xian felt a pang of worry for Yao Chunnuan and the others.
When King Ruyin saw the smile on his face, he couldn't help but ask, "Wenda, what are you laughing at?" Sima Xian, whose courtesy name was Wenda.
Sima Xian then told King Ruyin about his guess.
For a moment, the Prince of Ruyin was excited. The Crown Prince rushed to Yichun, but he was still unable to stop the rebellion of Xing Changfeng and others? What did this mean? It meant that the heavens did not bless Daliang, but it also meant that they could succeed.
Looking at the King of Ruyin rubbing his hands in preparation, Sima Xian shook his head.
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