Chapter 369 The Prince’s Conditions
Yan Xing looked calm. He had already made up his mind. He could not refuse the Crown Prince's affection, but he also had his own way of dealing with it.
That is to delay. Anyway, he has brought the troops here. As for what to do, it means that the general is not subject to military orders when he is away from the army.
He was waiting, waiting for Lu Xueyin to come. When Lu Xueyin arrived, everything would be settled.
Thinking of this, Yan Xing took a deep breath. He missed her a little.
Peng Jiang also received the news that a group of elite soldiers were stationed nearby and he was surrounded.
Peng Jiang was at his wit's end, but he suddenly felt a will to survive.
"The worst that can happen is that both sides will be destroyed. If I win, there will be countless wealth and glory waiting for me!" Peng Jiang said coldly to the guards around him, his expression gloomy but fierce.
He ended up where he is today because he didn't care about anything at the beginning. Why should he be so fussy and hesitant?
Peng Jiang began to mobilize troops, ready to fight at any time.
At this time, the prince's spy finally contacted Peng Jiang. Peng Jiang was so moved that tears filled his eyes. He was much happier than when he saw his son.
The spy said in a gentle voice, "Don't worry, Boss. Lu Xueyin hasn't arrived yet, and we only have Ji Ping on the other side. With the Crown Prince's reinforcements, Boss still has the advantage in numbers."
Just a few words from Ji Ping made Peng Jiang despair.
Peng Jiang asked, "Is it Ji Ping, one of Lu Xueyin's two famous generals, the one single-handedly promoted by Prince Yan, the one who was once a renowned swordsman in the martial arts world and now raves on the battlefield with unparalleled bravery?"
The spy was silent for a moment, then nodded solemnly.
There is no way, Lu Xueyin has many talented people under her.
Peng Jiang was about to cry. He wanted to count with him the opponents he had met in the past.
They were all corrupt officials in the yamen. They were planning to surrender and send out a batch of food before the fight even started.
Most of the time, he would let them go and only care about money rather than their lives.
Of course, they would occasionally encounter some officials with backbone, but at that time they were outnumbered and the guards brought by these officials were simply no match for them.
The imperial court had once made a ruthless effort to encircle and suppress them, but those people were blindly arrogant and not that difficult to deal with.
Ji Ping fought with Lu Xueyin on the battlefield. He was present in several of Lu Xueyin's battles. How does His Royal Highness the Crown Prince think that he can defeat Ji Ping?
The spy said, "Don't worry, Boss. We have the Crown Prince to help us, and this time it's the Prince of Zhenguo who's leading the troops. With him here, Boss, why should we worry about not being able to fight the Lu family army? Even Ji Ping was just one of our Crown Prince's men back then."
This is indeed true, but it is not the case. Lu Xueyin was just a county magistrate back then!
So these words cannot comfort Peng Jiang. If His Royal Highness the Crown Prince is so capable, why would he need to win him over?
Peng Jiang thought for a moment and said cautiously, "I'll consider this carefully. Please go and rest first, envoy."
This lack of a definite answer was already an attitude. The spy became anxious and said, "Master, please make a decision soon, otherwise it will be too late when Lu Xueyin arrives."
Look, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince also knows that if Lu Xueyin comes in person, he has no chance of winning.
Peng Jiang felt even more anxious, but he didn't show it on his face. He nodded and said, "I understand. I'll have to ask the envoy to help pass on the message when the time comes."
The spy didn't want His Royal Highness to be at a disadvantage, so he stopped urging him, nodded, and turned to leave.
Peng Jiang frowned and paced back and forth. Since no one was discussing with him, he decided to ask his guards to come over.
He asked the guard, "What do you think?"
The guard said, "Of course we have to help His Royal Highness the Crown Prince. His Royal Highness the Crown Prince has given the boss such good conditions, which Lu Xueyin cannot give."
The prince promised to make Peng Jiang a king. Being made a king is the greatest dream in their hearts. To be frank, Lu Xueyin is so capable, but he has not been made a king yet.
Peng Jiang was worried: "But the throne is not so easy to take. His Royal Highness wants me to be the first to deal with Lu Xueyin. Is Lu Xueyin so easy to deal with?"
The guard said, "Isn't there still His Royal Highness the Crown Prince?"
Peng Jiang snorted coldly, "If His Royal Highness the Crown Prince had the ability, would he still need to win me over? I sent someone to check it out, and it's only a hundred thousand troops. They look more regular than us, and their combat readiness is also complete. But..."
But he was still unsure, because that was Lu Xueyin.
The guard said, "Lu Xueyin is indeed powerful. Why don't we just surrender to Lu Xueyin?"
Peng Jiang pursed his lips and sighed softly: "Lu Xueyin hates evil and has a deep mind. I'm worried that she will settle accounts with me in the future, and then I will be dead."
So the guard blinked his big eyes and looked at him innocently.
Peng Jiang became even more upset when he saw that he was unable to help.
"Okay, okay, why am I telling you all this? You can't help at all." Peng Jiang said in annoyance.
Speaking of this, he envied Lu Xueyin again. Lu Xueyin had many talented people under her command, both civil and military, and each of them was a dragon and phoenix among men.
Unlike him, there is no one around him who can be used, and everyone wants to pull him down and replace him.
But now, even the useless ones are gone, leaving only a bunch of trash.
Peng Jiang was filled with sorrow.
The guard thought for a moment and said, "Master, I really don't have a good solution. But from what you just said, I understand one thing."
Peng Jiang looked at him, and the guard said, "General, you feel you can't defeat Lu Xueyin, even if you join forces with His Royal Highness the Crown Prince. If that's the case, why would you go fight a battle you know will result in defeat?"
Peng Jiang was shocked by these words. He glanced at the guard in surprise and said, "You have some knowledge."
The guard smiled at him and said, "Boss, there is something that no one else has about Lu Xueyin."
The boss glanced at him and asked, "What?"
The guard said, "She treats the people well. The people under her rule can all live and work in peace and contentment. In fact, if we are willing to submit to her rule, I think she will not kill us all."
No one can doubt that Lu Xueyin is kind to the people.
In fact, when it comes down to it, they are just ordinary people after all.
The scales in Peng Jiang's heart have completely tilted towards Lu Xueying. The guard was right. He knew in his heart that even if he and His Royal Highness the Crown Prince were tied together, they would not be enough to defeat Lu Xueying. Why fight a battle when the outcome is known to be a defeat?
What? Maybe something unexpected would happen? What if they could perform a miracle?
Haha, Peng Jiang just wanted to sneer twice, there is no such possibility. They are not Lu Xueyin.
At this moment, Peng Jiang has made a decision.
The spy waited a long time for Peng Jiang to summon him, so he knew that Peng Jiang was likely to give in. He didn't care about Peng Jiang's cowardice at all. He thought that he was a coward because of his humble background. Such a small incident scared him.
He also wanted to meet Peng Jiang and persuade him, but Peng Jiang refused to see him.
The spy thought about it, and then ran away while it was dark.
He would return to inform His Royal Highness the Crown Prince that Peng Jiang had defected at the last minute, and that would completely ruin His Royal Highness's plan. How could the game be played without the pieces in play? They had already lost before it even began.
One more thing to say: this shows how lax Peng Jiang's military management was.
The spy rushed back to Ningzhou overnight to report to His Royal Highness the Crown Prince. The Crown Prince looked grim and leaned back in his chair. He made one last desperate attempt, but died before he could accomplish his goal.
The prince's eyes flashed, and he decided to give it a try. He whispered a few words in the spy's ear. After listening, the spy nodded heavily and left.
The prince took a deep breath. Although the plan had not yet started, he had a bad feeling.
If the world is a chess game, he seems to have already lost.
Just as I was thinking about it, the door was pushed open.
The prince was furious and frowned deeply. Just as he was about to scold, he was startled when he saw the person coming.
"This is Lu Xueyin's territory. If you come out like this rashly, be careful not to be discovered." The prince said.
Lu Chenyang said gently, "It's okay."
The prince was stunned for a moment. Yes, this was Lu Xueyin's territory. Even if someone saw Lu Chenyang, they would know his identity just by looking at his face. And how could Lu Xueyin's people possibly harm him? The one who was truly in danger was actually him.
The prince cast a suspicious look at him: "You want to leave me, so you want people to find you?"
Lu Chenyang walked over to him and sat down, as gentle as ever: "You still need me now, I will not leave your side."
This was clearly a caring remark, but His Royal Highness was somewhat annoyed: "Have you already decided that I will lose? Are you sympathizing with me?"
Lu Chenyang shook his head. "No, I can't help you with anything, nor do I have the ability to change the situation. All I can do is stay by your side. I think I can always protect you."
For his sake, Lu Xueyin couldn't kill him.
It was the only thing he could do for him, so he felt guilty.
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