Soldiers are an army, not the same as suicide soldiers.
An army possesses the power to turn the tide in times of crisis.
Privately raising troops is a serious crime of treason, punishable by the extermination of nine generations of one's family!
Sun Jian and Li Gancheng both knew that the three Wei brothers wouldn't dare to do such a thing. The mastermind behind it was Wei Xian, the Minister of War. As for whether the Second Prince was involved, that was hard to say...
"Brother Sun, what are your plans for the next step?"
Li Gancheng knew that Sun Jian's visit before dawn was definitely not just to inform him of the situation.
He must have already considered his next move!
Sun Jian spoke frankly.
"My plan is to investigate the evidence, find a way to arrest them and catch them red-handed, so that they won't even have a chance to recant their confessions."
"And we must be quick, strike first before they can react!"
Upon hearing what Sun Jian said, Li Gan nodded in agreement.
"Indeed, your appointment as the deputy commander of the Tiger Legion will be a thorn in the side for everyone in the Wei family. They are afraid that you will seize power, that you will ruin things, and that you will have leverage over them. They will be thinking of ways to kill you every day!"
"The longer we delay, the worse it will be for us!"
Great minds think alike; Sun Jian thought the same way.
As long as the three Wei brothers are not eliminated, his danger in the Tiger Legion will increase day by day.
"Brother Sun, are there any specific steps for implementation?"
"Borrow troops!"
Sun Jian simply uttered two words.
The Wei brothers committed acts of exterminating their clans, and Sun Jian was an agent openly sent down from above to seize power.
To obtain evidence of the Wei brothers' crimes without alerting them or triggering a counterattack, Sun Jian had no choice but to rely on external forces.
The three hundred guards and armored soldiers he brought with him could not be used, nor could Liu Shiyun's loyal subordinates and his Tiger Legion soldiers.
Because these people's every move is very likely being watched by the Wei brothers' spies.
Only by borrowing troops can we ensure that things go perfectly.
Sun Jian then finished explaining his entire plan to Li Gancheng.
This plan has been in progress since Sun Jian and Gu Hu left the military camp.
Li Gancheng's eyes lit up when he heard this, and he couldn't help but admire Sun Jian's courage and boldness.
“Alright, Brother Sun, I will hand over all the Eastern Palace guards to you, a total of five hundred armored soldiers.”
Sun Jian shook his head, rejecting the suggestion.
"how?"
Seeing Sun Jian shake his head, Li Gancheng frowned and continued, "If you feel that you still don't have enough manpower, I can also give you the Crown Prince's personal guards commanded by Li Zigeng. They are all highly skilled in martial arts and have excellent combat abilities."
"These, plus my Eastern Palace guards, make a total of seven hundred people."
"No!"
Sun Jian stretched out his hand, "Your Highness, when I said I was borrowing troops, I didn't mean the Eastern Palace guards and your personal guards, but the Imperial Guards!"
"The Imperial Guard?"
Li Gancheng was stunned for a moment, then suddenly realized.
"I see, I understand now!"
"You mean you want the Emperor's personal guards to witness the Wei brothers' crimes firsthand, making it difficult for the Wei family to overturn the case?"
Sun Jian nodded and smiled. Li Gancheng was indeed worthy of being the Crown Prince; he understood immediately.
The Emperor's Golden Guard was the Imperial Guard.
Previously, Xiong Juzheng had used the Imperial Guards to help him out of the predicament at the gate of the capital's government office.
Sun Jian had seen this group of soldiers, and each one of them was a formidable force!
The commanders of the Golden Guard were Li You and Li Mu.
They were not only members of the royal family and imperial guards, but also the emperor's confidants.
Let them lead the troops to help him overthrow the three Wei brothers; the effect would be perfect.
At that time, everyone will be an eyewitness, and Wei Xian will have no way to refute it.
"Haha, good! Let's go to the palace together and ask Father Emperor for troops!"
"Let's not delay, let's set off now!"
Sun Jian nodded in agreement.
Speed is of the essence in warfare; the faster the action is taken, the greater the chance of victory.
If we can ambush the Tiger Army's supply wagons on their only route by 5 AM tomorrow, we can basically secure victory!
After saying this, Li Gancheng immediately summoned the eunuch Liu Jin to prepare the carriage.
However, just as Sun Jian and Li Gancheng had finished all preparations and were about to set off for the palace, Xiong Juzheng, the Prefect of Kyoto, along with Li Mu and Li You, appeared at the gate of the East Palace with five hundred Golden Guards.
The three of them happened to meet Sun Jian and Li Gancheng at the door.
Upon colliding head-on, both Sun Jian and Li Gancheng were momentarily stunned.
What's going on here?
Why are Lord Xiong and Generals Li Mu and Li You suddenly appearing at the gate of the East Palace?
"Your Highness, this humble subject pays respects!"
"This humble general pays his respects to Your Highness the Crown Prince!"
Upon seeing Li Gancheng, Xiong Juzheng, Li Mu, and Li You all knelt down to pay their respects.
"Greetings, General Sun!"
"Greetings, General Sun!"
"you……"
Li Gancheng and Sun Jian exchanged a glance, both looking puzzled.
In particular, these three people also brought with them five hundred Imperial Guards.
What kind of rules are these?!
Is it a coincidence?
"Alright, everyone get up."
"Yes, sir!"
The three of them stood up together, and during this time they did not forget to greet Sun Jian, who was standing next to Li Gancheng, and nod.
All three of them had dealings with Sun Jian, not to mention Xiong Juzheng.
As for the brothers Li Mu and Li You, one was cheated out of 100 taels of silver by Sun Jian, and the other had his ribs broken by Sun Jian. They have only barely recovered in the past few days.
"You may come in and speak."
Li Gancheng suppressed his shock and strode into the inner palace of the East Palace.
Several people followed one after another, and the three of them did not forget to exchange pleasantries with Sun Jian along the way.
Sun Jian noticed that Xiong Juzheng was becoming increasingly talkative, and he was very affectionate towards him, even wanting to rush up and kiss him.
He couldn't understand why Xiong Juzheng, a man of military background, became such a chatterbox after serving as a civil official for a period of time.
Most importantly, not only is he a chatterbox, but he also consistently uses inappropriate words...
Sun Jian was deeply distressed upon hearing this.
There's no need to elaborate on the two brothers, Li You and Li Mu, both of whom greatly admired Sun Jian.
They admired not only Sun Jian's martial arts skills, but also his military strategy.
...
Sun Jian realized that these people had come under the Emperor's orders.
Without His Majesty's decree, even Li Gancheng, the Crown Prince, has no authority to mobilize the Imperial Guards.
What's more, these three guys came with five hundred Imperial Guards!
Upon entering the hall, as expected, Sun Jian's conjecture was confirmed.
Xiong Juzheng directly told Li Gancheng and Sun Jian the purpose of his leading the Imperial Guards to the Eastern Palace.
Emperor Qianlong had previously ordered him to investigate the murder and false accusation of Sun Jian in the Golden Palace, and today marks the tenth day since then.
Before today, Xiong Juzheng was still worrying about his capital city.
Nine days had passed, and Xiong Juzheng's investigation into the case had yielded no results whatsoever. Not only had all the leads gone cold, but many of the witnesses who had previously witnessed the events had also died mysteriously.
With the deadline fast approaching and the case still unsolved, Xiong Juzheng began to panic...
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