Zhou Jingzhi gave Jian Yang a reproachful look, then pulled her towards the palace gates.
Outside the palace, Zhao Ziyi was already waiting in his carriage.
After the two boarded the carriage, they spurred their horses and hurried toward the border, accompanied by Zhou Jingzhi's bodyguards.
Throughout the journey, Jian Yang was filled with trepidation. She had a vague premonition that a tough battle was about to unfold.
After leaving the capital, Jian Yang and Zhou Jingzhi removed their masks.
Having not breathed in fresh air for a long time, Jian Yang got out of the car, got some water, washed her face, and let out a comfortable hum.
A bodyguard had appeared in front of Zhou Jingzhi at some point, and he listened to the bodyguard's report with a serious expression.
Jian Yang hurriedly went over and asked, "What happened? Is there news about your brother?"
Zhou Jingzhi nodded. According to the secret guards, Jian Hong was targeted by Wei Wenzhe's men as soon as he arrived in Yuncheng. They discovered that Jian Hong was investigating the rebellion in Agil and wanted to kill him.
Jian Hong lost some men and fled all the way to the border between Yuncheng and Kuncheng. He should have gone to Kuncheng by now.
Jian Yang became increasingly alarmed as she listened. Jian Hong's experiences these past few days could not possibly be explained in just a few words as the secret guards had reported.
Only Jian Hong knew the dangers involved; all they could do was head to Kuncheng as soon as possible to meet with him.
At this moment, Jian Hong was hiding in a dilapidated temple in Kunming.
Not long ago, Jian Hong arrived in Yuncheng and found the people there to be simple and honest, and the city to be peaceful and harmonious.
For a moment, he even wondered if the military governor's information was wrong, since it didn't seem like anyone was causing trouble.
Jian Hong first found an inn to stay in and spent a day observing everything around him.
He sat at a tea stall chatting with the locals and asked, "Brother, may I ask if Yuncheng has been peaceful lately?"
Seeing that Jian Hong had an extraordinary demeanor and spoke with an accent that sounded like he was from the capital, the man smiled and said, "Yuncheng is very peaceful. You must be from the capital. Feel free to enjoy your trip."
Jian Hong's suspicions deepened; if that's the case, there must be something fishy going on.
That very night, he left the inn and headed towards the border, eager to see for himself what the Kingdom of Agil was up to.
No sooner had Jian Hong left than someone followed him.
Before they even reached the border garrison, Jian Hong was attacked.
The number of people approaching was so great that the guards could hardly hold them off. Seeing this, Jian Hong had no choice but to flee into the depths of the woods.
He dared not stop for a moment. Those people were clearly trying to kill him. Jian Hong covered the wound on his shoulder and gritted his teeth to continue running inside.
Reaching a cliff, Jian Hong tore some pieces of his clothes and hung them on tree branches before turning around and running behind the cliff.
The group chased him all the way to the edge of the cliff, and seeing that he had fallen off the cliff, they went down the mountain to search for the body.
Jian Hong thus escaped a calamity and fled to Kuncheng.
Jian Hong wondered when the Emperor and the others would receive the news.
After Jian Yang and Zhou Jingzhi arrived in Kuncheng, they hurriedly searched the city for Jian Hong's whereabouts and finally found him.
“Brother!” Jian Yang’s heart jumped into her throat as she looked at Jian Hong lying motionless on the straw.
She rushed over and knelt on the ground. The dream from that day gradually overlapped with the reality of the present, and Jian Yang was a little scared for a moment.
Hearing the sound, Jian Hong slowly opened his eyes and saw Jian Yang looking at him with teary eyes.
"Ayang, what brings you here?" Jian Hong propped himself up on his arms and sat up.
At this moment, Jian Yang noticed that Jian Hong had injured his shoulder, and the blood had already dried on his clothes.
"It's a long story, let me treat your wounds first." With that, Jian Yang took the medicine box and began to treat Jian Hong's wounds.
Fortunately, although the wound was large, it was not deep. Jian Hong bandaged it himself, and it seems that there is no major problem now.
Jian Yang breathed a sigh of relief, then took out some sugar cubes she had prepared from her bundle and stuffed a few into Jian Hong's mouth.
After resting for a while, Jian Hong recounted his experiences over the past few days.
Upon hearing this, Zhou Jingzhi fell into deep thought.
According to Jian Hong, when he arrived at the military camp, he clearly saw that there were several times more soldiers and troops than the number that the General of the West could command.
Since the Kingdom of Agil did not cause any trouble, then the one who caused the trouble must be someone else.
"So, Zhou Jing'an has actually colluded with Wei Wenzhe and amassed troops in Yuncheng," Zhou Jingzhi said.
Jian Hong nodded: "They are probably planning a rebellion. I observed them transporting supplies a few days ago."
Upon hearing this, Zhou Jingzhi's expression hardened. Including the people he had sent over a few days ago, plus the secret guards he had brought with him, the total number of people was only a few thousand.
If what Jian Hong said is true, Zhou Jing'an has gathered several times more troops under the General of the West, and they have no chance of winning at this moment.
For a moment, everyone fell silent; the atmosphere was somber and somewhat frightening.
They left the dilapidated temple and found an inn to stay in.
That night, none of the three slept, and they didn't even change their clothes.
Suddenly there was a knock on the door, and Zhou Jingzhi hurriedly sat up in bed.
Zhao Ziyi pushed open the door and entered, looking somewhat flustered: "Your Majesty, something terrible has happened! It seems that Prince Chen and General Wei have set off with a large army."
Upon hearing this, Jian Yang also hurriedly stood up.
"How could this happen so suddenly?" Jian Yang asked.
Now that they are not in the capital, if Zhou Jing'an is allowed to rush to the capital, everything will be troublesome.
Zhou Jingzhi also frowned deeply; there was only one way left.
How many troops does Kuncheng have available?
Zhao Ziyi pondered for a moment and said, "About 30,000, but I don't know their exact strength."
Zhou Jingzhi nodded. With 30,000 troops plus his own elite forces, they might have a chance of winning. It all depended on how many men Zhou Jing'an had.
"Gather all troops and prepare for battle." After saying this, Zhou Jingzhi looked at Jian Yang.
Without needing any further words, Jian Yang understood. She picked up her bundle and medicine box and followed Zhou Jingzhi out.
Jian Hong had also appeared outside the door at some point. He asked, "What are your plans?"
Zhou Jingzhi gripped the tiger tally in his hand and said, "Mobilizing troops in Kuncheng is probably the only option at this point."
Upon hearing this, Jian Hong was also eager to go with them.
"Brother, we don't need so many people to go and mobilize troops. You should stay here and recover from your injuries. Wait for our news and don't act rashly," Jian Yang said hurriedly.
This war is likely to break out at any moment, and Jian Hong's current physical condition may not be able to withstand the battle.
Jian Hong wanted to say something more, but Zhou Jingzhi stopped him.
After saying that, Jian Yang followed Zhou Jingzhi and the two of them hurried to the prefectural governor's mansion in Kuncheng.
...
It wasn't until nightfall that Zhou Jingzhi finally knocked on the gate of the prefect's mansion.
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