Chapter 149 Questioning
Huan An's eyes flickered for a moment, and after a moment, he bowed and said, "I had hoped to take up my post soon, so as to live up to the princess's trust. Now that the princess has made the arrangements, I will respectfully obey."
"That's great."
The two exchanged a few more pleasantries, and Huan An asked, "I just requested to see the Crown Prince, but the eunuch said he wasn't in the city. I was wondering if he had gone to Kuaiji again."
Sun Wei said, "The Crown Prince has gone to Wuchang County to inspect the city defenses and should be back tomorrow."
"Wuchang?" There was a hint of something strange in Huan An's eyes. "Could something have happened?"
Sun Wei's expression was normal: "Nothing much. It's just after the New Year, and it's inevitable that all places are lazy. It's always necessary to conduct routine inspections."
Huan An nodded: "I have long heard that the Crown Prince is diligent, and it is indeed true."
After saying this, Huan An was not very happy and was about to say goodbye.
Sun Wei said, "Wait a minute, General. I have something I want to ask you."
"Princess, please."
"I once heard the Fourth Young Master say that he had earlier gone to Jiangxia with Lüqiu Changshi and the General to inspect military affairs. Is this true?"
Huan An hesitantly said "Oh", "It is true."
Sun Wei looked at him and asked, "I wonder why General Huan was inspecting Jiangxia at that time?"
Huan An replied, "Jiangzhou is concerned about its defenses, and so is Jingzhou. As a general, inspecting the defenses is a common occurrence for me."
Sun Wei remained silent and continued to look at Huan An.
"General Huan seems to be in a hurry to leave Jiangzhou," she said.
Huan An's gaze settled, and he said, "I am indeed anxious to leave Jiangzhou. However, I have already informed the princess of the reason. The Three Immortals Sect is still wreaking havoc in Kuaiji. Eradicating the Three Immortals Sect is also my long-cherished wish. I only hope to serve in Kuaiji as soon as possible."
"Is that so?" Sun smiled. "Could it be that the General already knew that the Duke of Nanjun would send troops to Jiankang? The General was anxious to leave Xunyang to avoid suspicion, right?"
These words seemed to hit Huan An's mind.
He looked at Sun Wei with a complicated expression, as if he wanted to say something but stopped himself.
At this point, Sun Wei already had an idea in his mind.
Huan An was scheming, but he wasn't Lu Qiuyan after all, so his cunning was limited. Since Huan Yi was about to send troops, and he was the general of the vanguard camp, how could he not have any information?
He must have known it long ago.
But he knew Sun Wei's status very well, and he couldn't hide it for long if Sun Wei forced him with those words.
Sun Wei continued, "That day, the general asked me why I risked my life to save him. Actually, he had already guessed that I saved him in order to use him to stop the Jingzhou army, correct?"
Huan An sighed deeply, "I still couldn't hide it from the princess."
"Since you already know, why are you still asking?" Sun Wei asked, "General, aren't you afraid that I'll tell you, but that it's difficult to refuse, and you don't have a way out?"
Huan An shook his head. "If the princess had told the truth, I would have every reason to decline the prince's offer and leave Jiangzhou. But precisely because the princess didn't tell me, I can't refuse. Going to Kuaiji is my only choice."
Sun Wei said, "If the general leaves Jiangzhou, where do you plan to go? The Duke of Nanjun has already decided to become an enemy of the imperial court. No matter where the general goes, he will inevitably be suspected."
Huan An smiled bitterly, "If there is no escape, I will have no choice but to abandon my martial arts and become a farmer in the countryside."
"Farmer?" Sun Wei couldn't help but laugh. "If the Duke of Nanjun attacks Jiankang, Kong Qi will take advantage of the chaos to attack the Three Wus. Then all the troops in the world will gather in Jiangzuo, scorching the earth wherever they go. At the same time, without troops to garrison the local areas, powerful people will rise up, chaos will ensue, and all industries will decline. Ordinary people will find it difficult to find a place to live. Even if the general becomes a farmer, how can he protect himself? In troubled times, anything can cost the general his life. Don't these generals have any idea of this?"
"I can think of it." Huan An looked downcast, "But I can't convince myself to help either side."
"General, do you understand the meaning of 'nothing can stop one's own actions'?" Sun Wei asked coldly, "General, have you ever thought about those men in Jiangxia who have followed you through thick and thin?"
Huan An was startled and looked at Sun Wei.
"I can tell you, General, that after this battle, half of the Jingzhou army will be reduced to bones. General, you might as well guess how many soldiers in the vanguard battalion are left?"
Huan An's eyes were filled with shock. After a while, he said, "Could it be that the princess has figured something out?"
"It's more than just a calculation," Sun Wei said. "The Duke of Nanjun's willful obstinacy led to the disastrous defeat of the Jingzhou army and the extermination of the Huan clan. Even if you wanted to escape, you would still be doomed. You already know the fate of those who failed in rebellion throughout history, even if I don't need to calculate it in detail. I only want to ask you one question. Even if I didn't ask for divination, do you think the Duke of Nanjun can really win a great victory?"
Huan An was silent for a moment, and his expression eventually turned painful.
Sun Wei looked at him and thought of Sima Jun again.
Sima Jun had a good eye for Huan An and saw through his hesitation. Therefore, he did not let Huan An rebel against Huan Yi, but decisively sent him to Kuaiji.
But considering Huan An's current state, Sun Wei felt that sending him to Kuaiji would be a bit overconfident. After all, the situation there was turbulent, and Huan An was already disheartened and had lost all fighting spirit. If he were to lead the troops, the consequences would be unpredictable.
Sima Jun's arrangement is probably just a temporary measure.
Sun Wei thought that he would have to have a good discussion with Sima Jun when he came back.
But at this moment, Sun Wei remembered that there was still no news from Sima Jun, and she couldn't help but become anxious.
Suddenly, Deng Lian hurried in from outside, looking quite anxious.
"Princess..." He started to speak, but suddenly saw Huan An and stopped talking.
Huan An was quite tactful and said goodbye immediately.
After leaving the palace, Huan An looked up at the sky. The cold wind was biting. The words of Princess Yuzhang were still echoing in his mind.
He felt a little ashamed.
Even the Princess of Yuzhang could think of his subordinates, but he never did.
Huan An was full of worries and was about to continue walking out when suddenly a eunuch stopped him.
"General Huan, please stay." He saluted and said, "The princess invites you."
Huan An was a little surprised. After hesitating for a moment, he returned to the hall.
I saw Sun Wei sitting in the hall with a frown on his face.
Seeing Huan An, she stood up and said, "I have a request. General, could you please go to Jiangxia in person and bring the prince back?"
Huan An was startled and asked, "Did the prince go to Jiangxia?"
"That's right. The prince secretly crossed the river from Wuchang the night before yesterday and went to Jiangxia. There has been no news since then." Sun Wei said, "If the general can bring the prince back, he will not owe me anything. You can leave on your own."
"Leave on your own?"
"There is no longer any place for a general in Jiangzhou. As for whether you want to be a merchant or a farmer, it is up to you, General."
When it came to this, Huan An was speechless.
After a while, Huan An's expression calmed down and he bowed to Sun Wei: "The princess has ordered me to do so. I will obey your orders."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
