Seven days later.
News of Zhao Cheng's defiance of the imperial decree reached the Jing Palace, and news of Xue Yun's furious outburst at the General's Mansion also reached Yuan Xiu's ears. According to Xue Yun, since his daughter had already lost her virginity to Zhao Zhan, he could only vent his anger for his daughter's sake and allow the marriage to proceed, thus forcing the Wang and Zhao families to become in-laws.
These two incidents were like slaps to Yuan Xiu's face, bringing his anger to its peak.
However, at this moment, a letter from the eldest princess completely enraged him, touching a raw nerve.
"Go! Summon Wen Hu and Yuan Li to me!!"
Yuan Xiu, with disheveled hair and bloodshot eyes, smashed everything around him and began to destroy his beloved toys.
Wei You and Jin Hu were so frightened that they quickly went out to call for help.
A short while later, Wen Hu and Yuan Li strode into the Imperial Palace.
Unable to contain his anger, Yuan Xiu roared at Wen Hu and Yuan Li, "You know about Zhao Cheng's disobedience to the imperial decree, right? You also know about the petty squabbles in the General's Mansion, right??"
Wen Hu and Yuan Li both tacitly remained silent, knowing that Yuan Xiu was simply venting his emotions.
"Take another look at this letter!" Yuan Xiu pointed at the letter in his hand, then threw it on the ground.
Yuan Li quickly picked it up and looked at it.
Yuan Xiu shouted at the same time, "My elder sister said that Zhao Huan and his son are making strange moves. Zhao Huan, who rarely goes out, is frequently contacting officials in Yanchuan City, Zhao Cheng is spending money to recruit soldiers, and Li Dai is reorganizing the military! What are they planning to do? Is there any need to say more? They're going to rebel! Rebel!! Rebel against me!!!"
"Especially Mu Zhaojun, who even arranged for people to put my elder sister under house arrest, preventing her from leaving the house!"
"I can tolerate their disobedience, but bullying my elder sister is absolutely unacceptable!"
Wen Hu glanced at the letter in Yuan Li's hand and deliberately said, "The Princess has Guard Heng and A Tao by her side, so she should be fine."
"Don't I know that?" Yuan Xiu said, gesturing wildly. "Of course I know that my elder sister will be fine. After all, she is Zhao Cheng's wife, and the Zhao family won't make things too difficult for her. But I resent the Zhao family's attitude!"
"Look at the tone of my elder sister's voice. She is very disappointed in Zhao Cheng. If she has the chance, she wants to bring Changli back!"
"I must save my elder sister! I must save my elder sister!"
Wen Hu said, "Since the Zhao family has already started to act, they will never release the eldest princess. The only way to save the eldest princess now is to take down the Zhao family!"
When the conversation turned to concrete actions, Yuan Xiu suppressed his anger and looked at Yuan Li, saying, "Fifth Brother, what do you think?"
Yuan Li thought for a moment and said seriously, "If we decide to take action against the Zhao family, we must be quick and not give them too much time to prepare."
Yuan Xiu asked, "Do you agree to take action?"
Yuan Li said, "Zhao Zhan defied the imperial decree, Zhao Cheng also defied the imperial decree, and now they are treating the imperial sister like this. Are they still subjects of our Yuan family?"
Yuan Xiu slammed his fist on the 'toy' and shouted, "Then send troops! They have been ruthless to me, so don't blame me for being ruthless to them!"
Wen Hu clasped his hands and said, "Your Majesty is wise!"
Yuan Xiu said, "Wenhu, I know you hate the Zhao family to the bone. I grant you permission to lead the troops in this battle!"
Wen Hu lowered his head, his eyes darting around, and said, “Your Majesty, I do indeed hate the Zhao family, but I am not the best choice for this battle. Now that the Marquis of Qingdong is not back, and the Central Secretariat is busy with many affairs, it would be better for me to stay and assist Prince Xin. The garrison in Yanchuan City is less than ten thousand strong. Even if Li Dai can persuade them all to help Zhao Huan, they will not have much fighting power. Taking down the Zhao family is not difficult; it doesn’t matter who we send as commander-in-chief. The key is that the Zhao family has experts. As long as we send more experts than they do, this matter will be secure. I will arrange for experts on my side.”
Yuan Xiu asked doubtfully, "Luo Ying is back?"
Wen Hu nodded and said, "I have found him and persuaded him to serve Your Majesty."
"Good!" Yuan Xiu's mood finally improved, and he said cheerfully.
Wen Hu said, "In addition, I have learned that Wen Pojun is also in Changsui City. He has a blood feud with Zhao Cheng, and I am confident that I can persuade him to cooperate with us."
"Brilliant!" Yuan Xiu rubbed his hands together and said, "Zhao Huan has a Grandmaster like Yang Taozhi, while I now have two Grandmasters, Luo Ying and Wen Pojun. In terms of strength, I can completely crush him!"
Yuan Xiu paced back and forth, then said, "I'll give Dian Chen to you as well, along with Fifth Brother, and Gong Xue, who's by your side. Now that we've decided to take action, we can't give them a single chance to survive!"
Yuan Li nodded and said, "Your subject obeys."
Yuan Xiu felt the pent-up anger in his chest dissipate considerably. He sat down on the spot, ruffled his long hair, and said, "Then tell me, who is suitable to lead the troops?"
Yuan Lichao glanced at Wen Hu, and seeing that he was not in a hurry to speak, he said, "General Wang is naturally unable to spare time to suppress the riots in Tianyong County, but his son Wang Yuluan can. His Majesty wants to cultivate his own young generals, and Wang Yuluan is a good prospect. Moreover, he has a blood feud with Zhao Cheng for killing his brother, and now his sister has also been defiled by the Zhao family. He is the most suitable person both in public and private."
Yuan Xiu said, "But Wang Yucen is with the Zhao family. What if the Zhao family uses Wang Yucen to blackmail Wang Yuluan?"
Yuan Li calmly said, "That will only further enrage Wang Yuluan. Your Majesty, send a deputy general to accompany Wang Yuluan. If the Zhao family really uses Wang Yucen, then let this deputy general sow discord and provoke Wang Yuluan's anger."
"Let Dian Chen be Wang Yuluan's deputy general!" Yuan Xiu changed his position, half-lying down, and said, "Transfer Wang Yuluan here, and transfer 30,000 troops from the garrison in Changsui City to him. 30,000 against 10,000, plus experts like Luo Ying and Wen Pojun, if he can't defeat him, he doesn't deserve to be cultivated by me!"
“Yes!” Yuan Li replied.
After the Yuan brothers finished talking, Wen Hu said, "Your Majesty, I also believe that 30,000 men are enough and Wang Yuluan can take down the Zhao family in one fell swoop. But to be on the safe side, I have a suggestion."
Yuan Xiu said, "Go on."
Wen Hu said, "Du Yucheng successfully drove out the pirates from Jingdong and Jiangyang counties with the Zhenhai Camp, but encountered obstacles in Yunjing County, where a stalemate has been reached. In my opinion, it would be better to let Du Yucheng withdraw from Yunjing County while he is ahead. He still has more than 10,000 troops under his command. When Wang Yuluan leads his troops eastward to Yanchuan City, he can lead his army northward to join Wang Yuluan in encircling Yanchuan City. Zhao Huan and Zhao Cheng will have no chance of escape!"
"Brilliant!!!" Yuan Xiu stood up excitedly, clapped his hands, and laughed loudly: "Marquis of Sha County is indeed a brilliant strategist!"
"As you wish, as you wish!"
"Fifth Brother, follow the Marquis of Sha County's instructions. You all hurry back to the Central Secretariat to handle this matter. As for the specific details, I will not interfere. You can discuss and arrange them yourselves!"
"Yes!!" Wen Hu and Yuan Li accepted the order.
After the two left, Yuan Xiu let out a long breath and looked at the ceiling, saying, "Zhao Huan, our matter is finally coming to an end."
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