Chapter 112 Trap
"This is not a joke," Xue Qi looked at Zhao Mingyue seriously. "Have you, Princess, ever truly considered becoming emperor? The people of the three northwestern states, as well as the soldiers in the army, are so loyal and willing to risk their lives to follow you because they hope that they and their descendants can obtain power, wealth, and land!"
"Pardon my disrespectful words, but the princess has come this far with the support of countless women. If she can't make up her mind now, then no matter whether the court or the rebels win, the loser will be the princess. And all of us will die without a burial place!"
Zhao Mingyue's face changed slightly. Xue Qi's words were indeed not very polite. She wanted to argue, but it seemed as if all her strength had been drained away. She could only sit down on the chair behind her.
Who in this world doesn't want to be an emperor? How could she be an exception?
What's more, she is not only shouldering the fate of herself, but also the people of Yuzhou and the soldiers in the army.
Master Xue was right. If she couldn't inherit the throne, no matter who became emperor in the future, she would be at the mercy of others. And the systems and reforms she had promoted for so long would be easily overturned.
No one can fight against the imperial power.
But even so, she still couldn't do what Xue Qi said, "No... I can't betray my mother."
Xue Qi immediately retorted: "This is not betrayal. Even if Queen Mother Chi is willing, the princess can't inherit her authority, right?"
Zhao Mingyue struggled internally and remained silent for a long time before she raised her head again. Her tone was calm, but her eyes were as sharp as a cold sword. "Master Xue is right. I agree. But we still have to deal with Prince Yue and Prince Ling first. With these two threats around, I can't hold on to the throne."
Hearing this, Zhao Yuzhang, who had been silent the whole time, said, "We can send a letter to Mei Junrong and Yuzhao, asking them to mobilize cavalry to march quickly to the capital to provide support. Then we won't have to worry about the rebels."
Zhao Mingyue lowered her eyes and thought for a while, then asked, "How long will it take for them to come over?"
Zhao Yuzhang made a rough calculation and said, "It will take at least ten days to go there and back."
Zhao Mingyue nodded. "Okay, I've already convinced Prince Yue to send people to the capital to persuade them to surrender. They probably won't send troops for the time being, so we can still delay for a while."
After the three of them made their plan, they wrote letters in secret code and sent dozens of messages to Mei Junrong and Yuzhao via carrier pigeons. However, fearing that something might go wrong, they sent another person with Zhao Mingyue's golden talisman and handwriting to quietly leave the camp and return to Yuzhou to mobilize troops.
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The next day, Zhao Ping called Zhao Mingyue to the county government office again. They discussed and drafted the terms for withdrawing the troops. They sent someone with these requirements to the capital to persuade them to surrender and let Queen Mother Chi abdicate and return power.
It was not until dusk that Zhao Mingyue left the county government office and returned to the camp.
She rode on the horse, holding the reins tightly in her hands, occasionally tilting her head to look at the setting sun in the sky. The blood-red sunlight fell on her handsome, cold face, exuding a sense of solemnity for no reason.
Xue Qi stood at the steps of the palace, staring at her as she approached. "Princess, has the letter of surrender been sent to the capital?"
"Yes, Prince Yue's men have already set off." Zhao Mingyue reined in the reins, dismounted, walked up to Xue Qi, and took her hand. "Master Xue, let's go in and talk."
When the two entered the hall, they saw Zhao Yuzhang standing in front of the table, looking at the map on it with a serious expression.
The guards had lit the candles in advance, and the flames illuminated the lines on the map clearly.
Zhao Mingyue walked over and followed her gaze, and found that her gaze was exactly at the Nanyang Palace in Nanyang City.
The palace is three hundred miles away from the capital. Because it is backed by Zhiyi Mountain, the emerald green peaks form a natural barrier, making it extremely cool in summer. It was once a summer resort for the emperor.
Zhao Mingyue asked doubtfully, "Aunt, is there something wrong here?"
Zhao Yuzhang raised his head. "There's no problem here. I just find it strange why Prince Yue agreed to let the princess be the leader of the alliance. Isn't he afraid that the princess will steal his credit? Especially now, with the capital within reach, will he really do nothing?"
Zhao Mingyue's expression grew serious. "Auntie, what do you mean...?"
"I'm worried that Prince Yue will harm us. If the palace is surrounded, our only escape route is Zhiyi Mountain. I think we should set some traps at the foot of the mountain just in case."
Xue Qi agreed, "I agree with General Zhao. We must prepare to evacuate Nanyang. Before reinforcements arrive, we must avoid direct conflict with the rebels and preserve our strength as much as possible."
Zhao Mingyue nodded. "It's always better to be prepared. There's no time to lose. Aunt, have someone set the trap now."
Zhao Yuzhang agreed and turned to leave.
Zhao Mingyue walked to the desk and sat down, staring at the map, but her mind recalled the way Zhao Ping and Zhao Diao talked during the day.
She had been observing them carefully and felt that the two of them exchanged glances quite frequently. Could they be working together?
What could possibly bring two enemies together and put aside their past grudges?
Zhao Mingyue suddenly felt a chill rising from the soles of her feet. At this moment, hurried footsteps sounded outside the door.
"Princess, the spies reported that Zhao Ping and Zhao Diao are gathering troops and seem to be planning a night attack on our camp!" The soldier hurried in and shouted in panic.
Zhao Mingyue stood up suddenly and asked, "How many people did they gather?"
"Between 40,000 and 60,000."
Zhao Mingyue's pupils suddenly shrank, and Xue Qi's expression also changed.
But in just a moment, Zhao Mingyue calmed down. "Order the entire army to withdraw from Zhiyi Mountain. Send the firearms battalion to snipe Zhao Ping's troops to buy time for the retreat! Quick!"
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On the other side, Zhao Ping and Zhao Diao gathered 50,000 soldiers and marched towards the Nanyang Palace under the cover of night.
After walking for about two quarters of an hour, Zhao Ping suddenly heard the sound of horse hooves coming from the front. Looking up, he saw a group of cavalrymen in light armor rushing out from the dark night, about a thousand of them.
"Oh no! Zhao Mingyue has already learned about our surprise attack," Zhao Ping panicked and hurriedly said to the flag officer, "Hurry up and send the order to disperse the main force of the front army!"
Suddenly, the cavalry had already rushed up to them, raising their muskets and shooting at them.
At once, all the guns were fired, and Prince Yue's soldiers fell off their horses like dumplings.
Zhao Ping hugged the horse's neck and lay down on it, not daring to move. He only heard loud bangs in his ears. After a puff of thick smoke, the team of light cavalry had turned their horses around and ran towards the palace.
Zhao Ping looked back and saw that his own side had suffered heavy casualties. They were all rolling on the ground and wailing. There were about a hundred people who had lost their combat effectiveness.
He was furious and immediately ordered his troops to chase after them, leaving all the wounded on the ground behind.
However, after they had chased for two or three miles, those elusive light cavalry came out again, bombarded them with muskets, and then ran away, refusing to fight.
Unfortunately, Zhao Ping's army was not as fast and mobile as these light cavalry, and he was afraid that if he sent a small team, he would encounter an ambush. Therefore, no matter how hard he tried, he could not catch up with the enemy and could not hurt them at all.
Before they even reached the Nanyang Palace, they had already lost hundreds of men.
Zhao Ping was furious and shouted angrily, "When I catch them, I will skin them alive!"
They then sped up and soon arrived at the Nanyang Palace. It was pitch black inside, with no light at all.
Zhao Ping was afraid that Zhao Mingyue had set a trap, so he first had his archers shoot a round of arrows inside. When he heard no sound, he ordered his soldiers to break open the main gate and ride in on horseback.
When I went in, I saw that Zhao Mingyue had already escaped with his men.
The soldiers searched palace after palace but didn't see a single ghost. They searched all the way to the back door and only then vaguely saw a group of people running up Zhiyi Mountain.
Zhao Ping's spirits rose. "Hurry up and chase them! They're carrying artillery and supplies, so they won't be able to get far!"
Everyone immediately chased towards Zhiyi Mountain. When they reached the mountain pass, they saw a cannon lying across the road, blocking their way, and many bows and arrows were scattered around.
Zhao Ping was overjoyed. "These women soldiers didn't have the energy to escape and left their artillery behind. Let's quickly go get this magical weapon!"
The soldier was about to rush over and push the cannon over when Zhao Diao, who had been following behind due to a leg injury, suddenly urged his horse forward and shouted, "Wait! Third brother, didn't you say you would give me an extra share of the firearms? Shouldn't I take the cannon?"
Zhao Ping's face turned pale instantly, and he was about to explode, but suddenly he remembered that Zhao Mingyue brought several cannons, and there was no need to argue with Zhao Diao over just one. If he wasted time, it would be bad if Zhao Mingyue got away!
So he controlled his temper and said with a smile, "Okay, I'll give you this cannon. Now you should finally believe that I keep my word!"
Zhao Diao gave a hypocritical smile, "Thank you very much, Third Brother."
He dismounted and walked forward with a group of people. When he saw the huge iron-blue barrel of the cannon up close, his eyes immediately lit up with excitement.
If he could seize all of Zhao Mingyue's artillery, he, Zhao Diao, could directly enter the capital and become emperor!
He raised his hand and several of his men immediately stepped forward to push the cannon.
At this moment, he faintly smelled the odor of sulfur and heard the sound of burning fire ropes, which were getting closer and closer...
What was that noise? Zhao Diao was just wondering when the burning sound suddenly stopped, followed by a loud bang, and the thick smoke that exploded instantly engulfed him.
But the next moment, he was away from the thick smoke, his sight rising higher and higher, as if he was flying. He saw fireworks on the ground and the nearby soldiers were blown to pieces.
Then he saw his own body, lying in pieces in the smoke, with his head no longer attached to his neck.
Only then did he realize that his head had been blown up into the sky.
With a thud, Zhao Diao's head fell in front of Zhao Ping. His eyeballs were stained blood red, and he was staring at Zhao Ping with his eyes wide open.
"Ah!" Zhao Ping screamed in fright and kicked Zhao Diao's head out.
It turned out that Zhao Mingyue had deliberately left the artillery here to lure them forward to check it out.
This is a trap!
If Zhao Diao hadn't rushed over, he would probably be dead now.
Zhao Ping was frightened and was about to say something when he suddenly saw a figure swaying behind the tree in front of him. He immediately shouted, "Catch her!"
The soldiers immediately rushed over, pinned the man behind the tree, and brought him before Zhao Ping.
Zhao Ping saw that she was wearing armor and was obviously one of Zhao Mingyue's generals. His face suddenly darkened. "Were you the one who ignited the gunpowder just now?"
The soldier looked up at him, his eyes shining frighteningly, but he didn't answer.
Zhao Ping asked again, "Which direction did your master run to?"
The soldier still didn't speak.
Zhao Ping was enraged by her. He immediately drew his sword, put the tip of the sword to the soldier's face, and shouted sternly: "If you don't tell me, I will cut off your tongue!"
The soldier looked at him coldly without any fear on his face, "Kill me."
Zhao Ping had never seen such a bold person before. Was he not even afraid of death?
"Okay, then I'll grant your wish!" He raised his knife and was about to chop the soldier's neck.
Suddenly, his men shouted, "Your Majesty, look up in the sky, what is that?"
What else could be in the sky besides Zhao Diao’s head?
Zhao Ping glared at his men fiercely, looked up irritably, and was instantly shocked.
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