To be precise, it means we will never have to worry about them starving to death.
“We will definitely have to launch a strong attack.” Shu Chengfeng looked at the map and the incomplete sand table: “I am not very good at troop deployment, but as long as General Xie has a good plan, I am willing to be the vanguard.”
Shu Zhongjing remained silent until a fleeting thought crossed his eyes.
They couldn't come up with a solution in a day, and the army could rest for three days.
At night, everyone slept in tents, except His Majesty, who stayed in a villa in the city.
Yan Nangui lay on the bed with one hand under his head.
Outside the main tent, Wei Xiao called out, "Your Highness."
"Enter."
After Wei Xiao entered and bowed, he said, "His Majesty has summoned Cao Yuan and Du Tao."
Du Tao goes without saying; he was originally a close bodyguard.
Cao Yuan...
"General Xie sent word that you should be careful." Wei Xiao hesitated, "This...it can't be that serious, can it?"
"What do you think? How did the late Crown Prince die on the battlefield?" Although there is no evidence to date, it is not necessarily His Majesty's doing.
There were other princes back then, but the mystery is hard to explain.
That was possible then, but what about today?
His Majesty is determined to depose the Crown Prince. What if the Crown Prince dies in battle?
His Majesty has also attempted to assassinate the Crown Prince.
"If there's anything wrong, kill him for me," Shu Chengfeng said calmly.
This "he" is naturally Cao Yuan.
“Yes, but… does Your Highness really want to go deeper? It won’t be ten days or half a month before you return,” Wei Xiao said.
"Although the Southern Frontier is said to have 80,000 to 90,000 troops, it's impossible for them to actually have that many. The loss of Xianyu Prefecture has severely weakened them. Our army only needs to launch a strong attack to take it down." Shu Chengfeng said, then sighed, "The battle itself is not difficult; the difficult part is what happens outside of the battle."
If he's going, the three princes can't possibly not go.
Otherwise, why would His Majesty bring them here?
Everyone wanted the crown prince dead. The battlefield is a place where swords and spears have no eyes, and he is not a god who can have three heads and six arms.
But she couldn't think about all that, so she waved her hand and told Wei Xiao to go and rest first, that there was still time to think.
The next day, Shu Chengfeng called Wei Xiao and Ding Min to talk again.
Just then, Yun Ji walked in with a grim expression.
"What's wrong?"
Yun Ji was quite skilled in martial arts; although he was a eunuch, he was not weak. Naturally, he followed along.
"That damned Cao Yuan! He's won over people's hearts, he's even won over our people! That bastard wants to assassinate you!" Yun Ji was furious.
Fortunately, there were many of the Crown Prince's men in the army, and Cao Yuan was indeed not very clever.
"Let him in," Shu Chengfeng said, not particularly angry.
Soon a man dressed in ordinary military uniform entered. He was about twenty years old and tall.
"Your Highness, I have met you." He knelt down.
"Get up. Tell me."
Although this person was meeting the Crown Prince for the first time, he was indeed one of the Crown Prince's men.
"Yes, General Cao selected ten men, all of them strong and capable. He chose me because I'm a good archer. They were all under his command. He ordered a few of us to shoot Lord Wei and Lord Ding dead on the day of the expedition. He said... he said they were spies who wanted to harm Your Highness. He even promised them gold. He made it sound very nice, saying that we shot the two officials dead, and he rushed to protect Your Highness. At that time, he also received a reward for protecting the Crown Prince, and we received gold. Anyway, the two officials were spies, so it's good that they're dead."
The big man chuckled sheepishly, "I'm on His Highness's side, so I know Cao Yuan has ill intentions."
Shu Chengfeng smiled, seemingly not angry, but there was no real joy in his smile.
"I understand," Shu Chengfeng waved his hand.
The big guy went out.
“It can’t be that simple; it’s too easy to expose,” Wei Xiao said.
"Of course it can't be that simple, but if you die on the battlefield, I won't be able to explain it." If the Crown Prince loses an arm, there will inevitably be chaos.
Although he was a prince, he was still a human being on the battlefield.
Lacking experience, killing him would have been easy at that time.
Moreover, these ten people may be aware of the situation, but how many more are lurking in the shadows?
"Your Highness! You should make plans as soon as possible!"
Shu Chengfeng raised his hand to stop their shouts: "I have a way. You go first and prepare to depart the day after tomorrow."
Wei Xiao and Ding Min had no choice but to obey.
Yun Ji was quite angry: "Your Highness! Just tell me, what should I do?"
"The southern border is full of poisonous insects, and snakes are even more abundant. Even in Xianyu Prefecture, there are quite a few. I know of a black snake with red eyes, whose venom is the most potent," Shu Chengfeng said calmly.
"Yes, I'll go right away! I'll bite that Cao bastard to death." Yun Ji said, about to leave.
"Come back." Shu Chengfeng looked at Yun Ji: "Over the years, I have survived quite a few assassination attempts. Countless of them came from His Majesty. This time, it's time to retaliate."
Yun Ji shuddered, but became even more solemn: "Your subordinate understands."
"If things go wrong, I won't be considered disobedient." Shu Chengfeng smiled to himself.
He suddenly remembered the wild geese flying south.
What would she do in her place?
Then, he figured she wouldn't hold back either.
Shu Chengfeng found it somewhat amusing that he was now thinking of that woman.
At midnight, news arrived that martial law had been declared in Xianyu Prefecture.
His Majesty kept quiet about being bitten by a snake. But when he suddenly summoned the Crown Prince and the other princes in the middle of the night, Shu Chengfeng already knew what was going on.
Upon arriving at the villa, the imperial physicians were all present, and the three princes all looked grim. At that moment, everyone must have had countless thoughts running through their minds.
After the imperial physician came out, he said to the crown prince, "Your Majesty was bitten by a black serpent. Fortunately, it was discovered in time and the venom was sucked out, which saved your life. However, the venom of this snake is too strong. Even if it is not fatal, Your Majesty will need several months to recover."
"How could there be such a snake in the city?" The Second Prince glanced at the Crown Prince, then frowned and asked.
“Although black thorn snakes are rare, this isn’t the first time they’ve appeared in the city. We can’t worry about that now; His Majesty needs to rest. The remaining poison hasn’t been cleared up, and His Majesty is still in danger. Besides, Xianyu Prefecture is too hot; His Majesty can’t stand this kind of weather right now,” said Imperial Physician Weng.
The other imperial physicians shared this opinion.
Shu Chengfeng nodded: "I will go and see my father first."
With that, he went inside with the three princes.
Shu Zhongjing was unable to sit up at this moment. The snake had bitten his calf, but his whole body was numb.
If it weren't for Eunuch Xiang's skillful extraction of the poisonous blood, he would surely have died.
This snake is truly venomous; a single sip of its venom can paralyze a person, causing them to die without them even realizing it.
Normally, snake venom damages human blood cells. The black spiky snake is no exception.
Since serum is no longer available, recovery will have to rely solely on the body's own efforts. This process is naturally lengthy.
Shu Zhongjing saw that everyone had multiple heads, and his mind wasn't very clear, so naturally he couldn't say anything.
His eyes, however, were very unfriendly.
After the four men finished their greetings, General Xie and the others arrived.
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