Chapter 133: Seizing Power
Deng Lian went as soon as he said he would, like a gust of wind.
Aju muttered, "Isn't this guy sleepy? He's really energetic."
Deng Lian did not return until midnight.
The good news is that Tian Ying has been rescued, but the bad news is that she was seriously injured and unable to move.
"According to the current situation, if we want him to lead the troops to retake Xunyang, I'm afraid it won't be possible."
"What did General Yang say?"
"After learning the truth, he was filled with righteous indignation and wanted to rush into the camp to take Cui Pan's head. Fortunately, I stopped him."
"Well done," Sun Wei said, "He's no longer the commander of Pengcheng. We can't attack him by force, we can only outsmart him."
Deng Lian was already very familiar with her tone.
"Could it be that the princess has read the fortune again?"
Sun Wei remained noncommittal. "Tomorrow, tell General Yang that someone has colluded with foreign enemies and, while the Crown Prince is away, is attempting to seize Jiangzhou. If he wishes to serve the king, he can come and see me. If not, I will not force him."
A'ru frowned and said, "If he doesn't want to, there's no guarantee he won't defect to Cui Pan. What will happen then?"
Sun smiled and said, "He won't. Just do as Deng Sima tells you."
Deng Lian agreed.
Not long after he lay down, before dawn, Sun Wei heard the sound of drums from the camp.
She suddenly woke up and sat up.
"The camp is counting the troops." Aju came in and said, "It seems that they are about to send troops."
Sun Wei said nothing more, and just as she had finished packing, she heard a loud voice coming from outside the door: "Yes, why not! I, Yang Quan, request to see the princess!"
As soon as he finished speaking, a burly figure knelt down in front of the door.
Sun Wei remembered Yang Quan. In his previous life, Ruan Hui had often mocked him, saying that even if the enemy wielded a large sword, they wouldn't be able to cut him.
That's really exaggerated.
On the day the city was broken, in order to protect Sima Jun, Yang Quan was pierced by arrows all over his body and became like a hedgehog, but he leaned against the city wall and refused to fall down until his death.
Sun Wei looked at him and returned the greeting, "General Yang, nice to meet you."
The Chief Secretary was dead, the Prince of Yuzhang's concubine had fled, and Xunyang City and even Jiangzhou Prefecture were leaderless.
At this time, whoever can calm the situation can take over Xunyang and then seize the entire Jiangzhou.
This is a huge temptation.
Cui Pan was originally going to deal with Yang Quan today, but after hearing this news, he knew the severity of the situation.
He immediately assembled his troops and marched towards Xunyang City.
Unexpectedly, the troops suddenly stopped while marching.
Someone came to report that the road ahead was blocked by fallen trees and a carriage was also blocked.
Cui Pan was anxious and went to see it in person.
He saw the fallen tree blocking the road, and the carriage curtain rolled up, revealing the beautiful face of the woman in the carriage. She looked at him from afar and smiled softly: "General Cui, how are you?"
Cui Pan was stunned.
Suddenly, he seemed to be back in Jingkou last year.
It was also on the eve of his success that this woman, sitting in a carriage, blocked his way.
Since then, he fell from the top of the mountain to the bottom of the valley. From then on, he wandered around, hiding his identity, and still uses the stupid name Guo Xin.
His future was ruined, his wealth was gone. All the trouble started with this woman.
Cui Pan was shocked and angry, but still retained a trace of clarity.
The most important thing now is to rush to Xunyang as soon as possible.
Why did this woman suddenly appear here? Wasn't it to stop him from going to Xunyang?
He shouted, "Catch this witch!"
But the woman showed no fear at all.
Instead of retreating, she got out of the carriage, walked towards him on the snow.
"If I remember correctly, there's a hefty bounty on General Cui."
After she finished speaking, she stood on a fallen tree and unfolded a scroll to the crowd.
That was Cui Pan’s reward notice.
There is a portrait on it, and all the features are exactly the same as Cui Pan.
Deng Lian, standing beside Sun Wei, shouted, "Cui Pan, formerly a military officer in the Northern Palace, instigated a mutiny and fled! Now, he's impersonating Guo Xin, serving as Sima of Pencheng and now as the lieutenant of Pencheng! The court has already issued a reward. Fifty gold coins will be offered for his head! A hundred gold coins will be offered for capturing him alive!"
"You are spreading rumors and misleading the people!" Cui Pan shouted. "Don't be fooled by these thieves! We are going to Xunyang to support the king. Anyone who dares to stop us is an accomplice! Where are the archers? Shoot them immediately!"
The soldiers were in a commotion, but no one came forward.
Cui Pan shouted, "Archers!"
Still no one came forward, and Cui Pan was about to urge them forward when suddenly he was pulled off his horse.
As the soldiers were in an uproar, a voice shouted, "The traitor Cui Pan, who pretended to be the emperor and seized power, must be put to death!"
Looking over, Yang Quan was leading a group of people, riding horses from behind.
He was dressed in full armor, looking very majestic. Behind him, he was carrying the seriously injured Tian Ying.
"I am Yang Quan, the Lieutenant of Pengcheng!" He stared at the crowd with his fierce eyes wide open, saying, "The rebels have severely injured Chief Tian, and Jiangzhou is in imminent danger! We are employed by Prince Yuzhang and are loyal to him! Those who fear death will stay, and those who do not, follow me into Xunyang to quell the rebellion!"
As soon as these words were spoken, they attracted a lot of responses.
Sun Wei looked at the scene and felt relieved.
She glanced at Cui Pan lying on the ground again.
He was tied up, his face was pale and he looked dead.
The man who was a powerful figure in his previous life and eventually cut off Sima Jun's retreat is now finished.
——
Just as Sun Wei expected.
When the 3,000 soldiers from the Pencheng Camp arrived, the gates of Xunyang City were wide open.
However, those who instigated the coup never thought that the person leading the troops was not Cui Pan, but Yang Quan.
A riot was quickly quelled.
Sun Wei returned to the palace and was relieved to see that Yu Kuan was safe and sound.
"The Jiangzhou camp is still there, and the bandits haven't dared to enter the palace to cause chaos yet," Yu Kuan reported to Sun Wei. "However, there have been quite a few disturbances in the city. Rumors are spreading, and many people say it's the princess who's causing the chaos. Not only has she killed the chief secretary, but she's also planning to massacre the entire city. The people are panicking and fleeing, and some thugs are looting under the pretext of robbing the rich to help the poor. If the princess had arrived any later, I'm afraid they might have burned Xunyang City down."
Sun Wei comforted Yu Kuan and called Yang Quan to arrest the rioters and post notices to reassure the people.
After everything was arranged, Sun Wei went to the Jiangzhou government office.
All the officials who had surrounded the palace came here.
Compared with the royal palace, the Jiangzhou government office was much smaller, and the area from the front yard to the front hall was filled with people.
When the soldiers escorted Sun Wei in, the originally noisy government office suddenly became much quieter.
Sun Wei walked calmly, watching the crowd automatically separate to both sides, his eyes sweeping across each face.
She had seen many of these people before.
Some of them I have seen in previous lives, and some of them I saw for the first time during the New Year.
When their eyes met hers, many people couldn't help but lower their eyes, each hiding their thoughts.
The atmosphere is really subtle.
Those who were cursing the princess for killing the chief secretary yesterday, mostly fell silent when they saw the soldiers arriving today.
There were still some who were not convinced and looked at Sun Wei coldly with unfriendly eyes.
Sun Wei walked into the hall and sat down at the top.
"Who got Fu Changshi's suicide note yesterday?" she asked slowly.
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