Chapter 57 Cui Pan
Mother Cheng hurried forward to greet him, saluted, and said with a friendly smile, "Young General, you have grown taller again. How are you these days?"
"Everything is fine with the junior." Xie Xiao said, then looked at Cheng Yu, "Brother Cheng is here too."
Cheng Yu calmed himself down and stepped forward to salute: "Your Highness Cheng Yu greets the Major General."
Xie Xiao supported him and said gently, "Brother Cheng, please don't blame me for my hasty visit."
Cheng Yu forced a smile, lowered his head and stepped aside.
Xie Xiao looked at Sun Wei again.
"The general and the old lady must have already met the princess," he said. "The princess is my savior. A few days ago, I was nearly assassinated, and it was the princess who arrived in time and saved my life."
"Oh?" Cheng's mother was surprised.
Since the moment this woman appeared, she had been causing surprises one after another. Mother Cheng had already begun to not underestimate her and had a premonition that something big was going to happen today.
"It is a blessing for the Northern Palace to have the princess's help." Mother Cheng thanked Sun Wei.
Sun Wei said, "It's just a small favor. You're really too kind, Young General."
Mother Cheng looked at Xie Xiao and stopped beating around the bush: "Young General, you came here today, I think there must be something."
Xie Xiao nodded: "I came here to discuss something with Brother Cheng."
Cheng Yu didn't dare meet his gaze and gave a dry laugh. "The Crown Prince is here today, and he's hosting a banquet with the generals at the Governor's Mansion. As the Acting Governor, I can't be absent. Please, Major General, allow me to take my leave first. We'll talk later."
"General, don't worry." Xie Xiao said, "The Crown Prince has already received Brother Cheng's request for leave. The old lady injured her leg, and Brother Cheng is a filial son. The Crown Prince has allowed the General to be absent."
Cheng Yu suddenly looked up at him.
Xie Xiao said calmly, "The prince already knows everything. Those outside the gate are all my men. Unless Brother Cheng obeys my orders, he cannot leave here."
Cheng Yu looked at Xie Xiao in shock, speechless for a moment.
At this time, Cheng's mother said, "Since this is the case, we must obey the orders of the young general."
Cheng Yu looked over and saw Cheng's mother looking at Xie Xiao seriously: "If the young general has any instructions, just give them your orders."
Xie Xiao said, "I wonder where Left Assistant General Cui Pan is? I know he didn't ask for leave. Brother Cheng, please tell me the truth."
Everyone looked at Cheng Yu.
Cheng Yu clenched his fists and said stubbornly, "I'm afraid the young general is mistaken. I don't know where Cui Pan is."
Sun Wei sighed softly.
I just thought that Cheng Yu was really a confused person. Even at this point, he was still being stubborn.
Xie Xiao looked at Cheng Yu and stopped pretending to be nice. His face turned cold.
"Brother Cheng has watched me grow up, and I consider him my elder brother," he said. "Northern Palace is the foundation of my Xie family and my last resort. Brother Cheng must know this. When my father passed away, I was completely lost. I looked around and only trusted Brother Cheng, so I handed the Northern Palace over to him. Brother Cheng once said that since you are my support, I should strive to live up to the expectations of my father and the generals of the Northern Palace. Now, I have listened to Brother Cheng's words, but I wonder if he is still willing to keep his promise?"
Cheng Yu opened his mouth, but was speechless for a moment.
He did say this, but he was indeed unwilling to accept it.
He had countless military achievements, so why should he be subordinate to the Xie family for the rest of his life? If it were Xie Qian, he would obey. If it were Xie Kun, he would begrudgingly submit. But what about Xie Xiao? As Xie Xiao said, he had watched him grow up. In Cheng Yu's eyes, Xie Xiao was timid and cowardly, as immature as a baby. Why should he be made his vassal?
But now, Xie Xiao was questioning him in front of him, completely different from his previous timid appearance.
Cheng Yu knew that Xie Xiao's presence was already a formidable feat. Adding the Princess of Yuzhang and the Crown Prince to the mix, the dangers within the Governor's Mansion were likely a thousand times greater than before.
What he had to face was no longer his own honor or disgrace. Whether he took a step forward or a step back, if he made a mistake, his entire family's lives would be at stake.
Cheng Yu closed his eyes and took a deep breath.
"Brother Cheng," Xie Xiao asked again, "where is Cui Pan?"
Cheng Yu's face showed despair. He glanced at his mother and then whispered, "Cui Pan is leading two hundred personal soldiers to the Governor's Mansion."
"Departing from the West Camp?"
Cheng Yu shook his head: "These personal soldiers of his are all his private soldiers, hiding in the east of the city."
If you are in the city, you don't have to go through the city gate and can go directly to the Governor's Mansion.
Xie Xiao's face turned pale, and Sun Wei also knew that the matter was serious.
Two hundred men, though not a large number, were sufficient to surround the Governor's Office, as there were no large numbers of troops stationed in the city. With these men, Cui Pan could more than adequately coordinate with Wang Hao to form an internal and external alliance.
"Who else knows about this?" Sun Wei asked quickly.
"It's just Cui Pan and me." After a moment, he added, "and the people above us."
The so-called person in charge is undoubtedly Wang Han.
No wonder Chu Yue couldn’t find Cui Pan, it turned out he had gone to ambush him.
That meant Chu Yue was completely unprepared for this incident. He was probably still keeping his eyes fixed on the main camp to the west. Little did he know that the unusual movement in the main camp was just a deception. The real killer was Cui Pan, who was lying in ambush within the city.
Without further ado, Xie Xiao made a prompt decision and asked Cheng Yu to lead the way and take people to find Cui Pan.
This was a place where common people gathered. Jingkou was a major thoroughfare, crisscrossed by waterways and a thriving trade. The houses east of the city were low and densely packed, and most of the residents worked in various trades. Their daily bustle was unnoticed by the comings and goings of people.
When everyone rushed to Cui Pan's hiding place, the house was empty.
"The water in this cup is still hot." Sun Wei picked up a ceramic cup and touched it, saying, "It probably won't go far."
Xie Xiao thought for a moment and said, "Today, the people are all out in the streets to join in the fun. Even if they leave, they won't be able to get far. We can catch up with them."
Sun Wei said, "Young General, wait a minute. Please go to the west gate immediately to ask General Chu for troops, and then return to the camp with General Cheng to stabilize the situation. I will go to General Cui to delay him."
Xie Xiao was very surprised.
"The princess is going to hold General Cui back?" He couldn't believe it.
"Young General, if you want to pursue Cui Pan, you can certainly catch him, but what good would that do? Cui Pan has two hundred men under his command, and we can't easily deal with him. Furthermore, if the Young General and Cui Pan meet, Cui Pan will undoubtedly know that the news has leaked. By then, we will be outnumbered, and a fight would not only be unsuccessful, but would also be futile. The best approach is to send me. I'm a stranger, and I don't know General Cui's strength, so I can still delay him for a while. On the other hand, if General Chu withdraws the city defenses at the west gate to provide support, I'm afraid someone from the West Camp will take advantage of the situation and break in. A true mutiny would be difficult to resolve."
Xie Xiao thought about it for a moment and felt that it made sense.
Of the three of them, Xie Xiao couldn't show up, and Cheng Yu had just pledged his loyalty, so there was no guarantee his loyalty would remain unchanged. The most available person was the Princess of Yuzhang.
"Even so, madam, please don't force them," he said. "If you can't stop them, just let them go. I'll send someone with the troops over as soon as I get back to the camp."
Sun smiled and said, "Don't worry, General. I cherish my life very much. I am waiting for good news from you."
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