Chapter 525: Disobeying the Order
"Stop." Zhao Yi said sternly, "Anyone who disobeys this order will be killed on the spot."
As soon as the words fell, Jiang Chao and Jiang Mu grasped the hilts of the swords at their waists and stood ready, as if any of the soldiers' next moves would be killed.
How could the soldiers operating the crossbows dare to act rashly when they saw this scene?
They all looked at the defense.
The garrison commander was a fifth-rank official in charge of guarding the pass. When he saw Zhao Yi and Shen Qingtan appearing here out of nowhere, a surge of anger rose from the bottom of his heart. He was about to scold the soldiers guarding the entrance, but he saw that they had been captured by the people brought by Zhao Yi.
He was extremely dissatisfied with the commander-in-chief Wang Qiaoxin. No one knew the importance of this mission better than Wang Qiaoxin. He did not expect that Wang Qiaoxin, with so many soldiers, failed to stop Zhao Yi and Shen Qingtan.
"Your Highness, Yuncheng is your fiefdom, but you have no right to interfere in its political and military affairs." The garrison commander's expression was very grim, and he was not afraid of Zhao Yi's identity. "I am acting on the emperor's orders. Do you intend to disobey?"
Last night he received a secret letter from Wang Qiaoxin, asking him to secretly arrange for soldiers to set up bed crossbows on the enemy tower when Prince Guangling and Princess Guangling went out of the city to meet Prince Zhenbei's family, and wait for Prince Guangling and Princess Guangling to return to the city before aiming at Prince Zhenbei and firing.
To be on the safe side, they also smeared wolfsbane on the arrows.
If they could kill the King of Zhenbei with one strike, they would have made a great contribution.
Even if the Great Zhou wanted to seek justice for the King of Zhenbei and sent troops to Northern Qi, they would not be afraid.
After all, the Great Zhou had lost a great killing god, and the Northern Qi and the Great Zhou were equally powerful, so it was still unknown who would win.
If they weren't killed instantly, such a commotion would surely draw reinforcements from Yingcheng. If they were outnumbered, they would cease their efforts. If there was no movement in Yingcheng, it would mean that the King of Zhenbei hadn't brought many troops with him this time.
They then used catapults to launch gunpowder bags, killing the King of Zhenbei and his elite soldiers. When the enemy suffered heavy casualties and their morale was broken, they would send troops to kill the King of Zhenbei and take his head.
But he never expected that at the critical moment, he was stopped by Zhao Yi.
Zhao Yi did not answer but asked, "What is the range of the bed crossbow?"
The guard frowned: "Three miles."
Zhao Yi asked again: "Do you know how far the camp is from here?"
"The camp was built by our soldiers, exactly three miles from here." The guard's patience ran out. Worried that Zhao Yi was stalling for time, he gave the order directly: "Shoot."
With a "swish", Jiang Chao and Jiang Mu drew their swords, and the blades were placed against the necks of the soldier who pulled the trigger and the guard respectively.
The soldiers also drew their swords and pointed them at Jiang Chao and Jiang Mu.
The situation between the two sides is tense and on the verge of breaking out.
The garrison commander felt the pain of his neck being cut, and his heart began to beat like a drum.
At this moment, he knew clearly that Zhao Yi wanted to kill him.
He had just relied on the secret decree from the Northern Qi Emperor to ignore Zhao Yi. At the same time, he was also betting on Zhao Yi, not daring to disobey the emperor's order.
Who would have thought that Zhao Yi would actually dare to take real action.
They have so many people and can easily turn the situation around.
The garrison commander had some concerns.
Putting aside the fact that the Northern Qi Emperor still had some use for Zhao Yi, specifically emphasizing in a secret decree that unless Zhao Yi harbored treasonous intentions, he must not be harmed in the slightest, Zhao Yi was the only son the Northern Qi Emperor could use. If he became the new Emperor of Northern Qi, he would definitely target him first.
"Your camp is within range, but did you know that the King of Zhenbei moved his camp a mile towards Yingcheng? Not to mention, the camp is guarded by elite soldiers. Even if you order your subordinates to fire dozens of Jackdaw Arrows at once, there are elite soldiers to block the arrows for the King of Zhenbei. If you can't kill him in one blow, you will miss the opportunity." Zhao Yi stepped towards the garrison and said coldly, "Do you know how many soldiers are stationed in Yingcheng? They have 50,000 elite soldiers. How many soldiers are there in Yuncheng? Can they withstand the wrath of the King of Zhenbei?"
The garrison officer gasped in shock. The Great Zhou actually stationed 50,000 elite troops in Yingcheng?
They had only ten thousand elite soldiers.
The gap in strength is too big.
Can……
"You're saying that Yuncheng's military might is no match for the Great Zhou, but with the Princess and I here, we can balance the power of the King of Zhenbei?" Zhao Yi sneered, "If the country is lost, how can we protect our families? Compared to the Great Zhou, who is more important, the Princess and I?"
The garrison commander was not stupid. After some thought, he understood what Zhao Yi meant.
As long as the two countries do not interfere with each other, the Great Zhou will not rashly send troops to Northern Qi for the sake of Zhao Yi.
If Northern Qi provoked a war first, Great Zhou would not be a pushover and would not remain silent out of consideration for Zhao Yi and Shen Qingtan's feelings.
Not talking about others, just talking about himself.
If war breaks out between the two countries, even if the enemy holds his relatives hostage, he will only try to rescue them and will not make concessions to save his relatives' lives.
When the nest is overturned, how can the eggs remain intact?
"As soon as the prince and the princess entered the city, you attacked the King of Zhenbei. He will wonder who ordered this. You wanted to catch the King of Zhenbei off guard, but they have already made preparations. If you want to take action, you must have sufficient food and troops. Otherwise, you will be like an ant trying to shake a tree, playing with fire and getting burned." Zhao Yi said without hesitation: "If you withdraw your troops, any blame will be borne by this prince."
The garrison commander couldn't help but feel guilty. The Northern Qi Emperor gave him and Wang Qiaoxin this secret order on purpose, intending to create a feud between Zhao Yi and the Great Zhou and cut off his retreat.
But withdrawing troops...
Suddenly, the garrison saw Wang Qiaoxin and Lin Youwei going up to the enemy tower, and couldn't help but ask Wang Qiaoxin for help.
"Your Highness has investigated the enemy situation and is fully aware of the situation in Great Zhou. Are you trying to fight a rock with an egg?" Wang Qiaoxin scolded, "Fool! Withdraw your troops!"
The guard was stunned and subconsciously looked at Lin Youwei.
Lin Youwei nodded.
The garrison commander realized that these two people had escorted Zhao Yi to meet the King of Zhenbei together, and they knew the situation in Da Zhou better than he did, so he believed that what Zhao Yi said was true.
Anyway, if His Majesty punishes us, we have Zhao Yi and Wang Qiaoxin to take the blame.
He waved his hand and said, "Retreat."
The soldiers withdrew.
Jiang Chao and Jiang Mu put away their swords and retreated behind Zhao Yi.
The guard touched his neck and saw blood on his hand.
His face darkened, he clasped his fists towards Zhao Yi, Wang Qiaoxin and Lin Youwei, and strode away with his head held high.
Lin Youwei looked at Zhao Yi, then at Wang Qiaoxin, a thought flashing in his eyes.
Today, he escorted Zhao Yi and Shen Qingtan to the camp outside the pass and indeed discovered that the camp had been moved. It was four or five miles away from the city wall of Yuncheng. He carefully observed the elite soldiers brought by the King of Zhenbei and roughly estimated that there were several thousand of them.
As for whether Yingcheng actually had the 50,000 people that Zhao Yi mentioned, he had no idea. He only knew that on the city walls of Yingcheng, wherever he looked, there were soldiers wearing helmets, densely packed with people.
Even if Zhao Yi was telling the truth, he was blatantly defying the secret order of the Northern Qi Emperor, and was clearly protecting the Prince of Zhenbei.
He planned to write this matter in a memorial after returning and submit it to the desk of the Emperor of Northern Qi.
It depends on how the Emperor of Northern Qi decides.
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