Soon, Tang Ziyi, the deputy general of the Tiger Warriors, was brought before Prince Chen Huai'an by the Imperial Guards.
The latter's expression froze for a moment when he saw Lu Jiang, the deputy general of the Liangjiang New Army, but they tacitly agreed not to greet each other.
Instead, he calmly knelt before Prince Jin and said, "This humble general, Tang Ziyi, greets Your Highness Prince Jin."
"Long live the Prince of Jin! Long live the Prince of Jin! Long live the Prince of Jin!"
"No need for formalities, stand up and speak!"
Chen Huai'an waved his hand, signaling Tang Ziyi, the deputy general of the Tiger Legion, to stand up and speak.
But when the latter saw that Lu Jiangdu, the deputy general of the Liangjiang New Army, was still kneeling on one knee, how could he dare to stand up and speak to His Highness Prince Jin? He remained kneeling on one knee in front of Chen Huai'an and said, "Your Highness, there is a difference between superior and inferior. This humble general dares not!"
Ha ha!
Chen Huai'an laughed heartily twice, then said nonchalantly, "Whatever!"
Tang Ziyi cupped his hands and said, "Your Highness Prince Jin, I have come here with the intention of leading my 250,000 elite Tiger Warriors stationed on the north bank of the Yangtze River to join the Jingnan Army in Longcheng and contribute to the extermination of the treacherous minister Qin Ruhui!"
"If Your Highness Prince Jin does not mind, the warships of the Longcheng naval fleet can sail north along the river at any time and temporarily anchor at the northern dock controlled by my Tiger-Ben New Army."
"Your humble servant has ordered his troops to clear enough tents in the Tiger Legion's new camp for His Highness Prince Jin and the brothers of the Dragon City naval fleet to rest!"
oh?
Chen Huai'an raised an eyebrow, looking at Tang Ziyi, the deputy general of the Tiger Legion, with great interest, and asked with a smile, "Could it be that General Tang has heard some rumors?"
"Otherwise, how could General Tang, who commands 250,000 elite troops on the north bank of the Yangtze River, risk his life to go to the treasure ship to meet me?"
brush!
Faced with the probing questions from Prince Chen Huai'an of Jin, Tang Ziyi's expression froze instantly.
Even Lu Jiang, the deputy general of the Liangjiang New Army standing to the side, subconsciously raised his head half an inch so that he could catch a glimpse of Tang Ziyi's expression out of the corner of his eye.
Lu Jiang was also curious about what kind of news could have prompted Tang Ziyi, the deputy general who commanded 250,000 elite troops, to personally come to Prince Jin's treasure ship to surrender and show his loyalty.
Tang Ziyi hesitated only for a moment before deciding to reveal all the information he knew: "This humble general dares not deceive Your Highness; I am fully aware of the incident at the Jiangyin naval camp."
"The Jiangyin Incident was Wu Sanjia's own willful act and cannot possibly represent the thoughts of the 250,000 Tiger Warriors stationed on the north bank of the Yangtze River. I urge Your Highness Prince Jin to investigate this matter thoroughly."
Upon hearing this, Chen Huai'an calmly replied, "General Tang is absolutely right. Wu Sanjia's personal actions certainly cannot represent the entire Tiger Legion."
"So it seems that the news of Wu Sanjia's death on the battlefield has also spread within the Tiger Warriors?"
"Your Highness Prince Jin, only this humble general and a few of my personal guards know of Wu Sanjia's death in battle!"
Tang Ziyi immediately replied, "This humble general is well aware of the great importance of this matter. In order to avoid unnecessary trouble and disturbance, this humble general has ordered that this news be temporarily blocked."
Um!
Chen Huai'an nodded and continued, "General Tang, besides the news of Wu Sanjia's death in Jiangyin, what other news do you know?"
Seeing that there was no way to avoid it, Tang Ziyi gritted his teeth and said, "Your Highness, according to the report from the centurion of the Yuhou Army who fled back from Jiangyin..."
"The Four Seas King Fang Tianyao has led the officers and soldiers of the Daxin Navy to surrender to the Longcheng Jingnan Army's naval fleet. Also, Emperor Lingwu and Empress Dowager Su have also joined the Longcheng naval fleet."
After revealing everything he knew in one breath, Tang Ziyi did not feel relieved; instead, his heart was in his throat.
They didn't even dare to look up at Prince Jin's expression.
Not only him, but Lu Jiang, the deputy general of the Liangjiang New Army kneeling beside him, wished he could bury his head in his crotch at this moment.
Lu Jiang, who originally just wanted to hear some gossip and have some fun, never expected to hear such explosive news. Not only did Wu Sanjia die in battle and Fang Tianyao surrender, but even Emperor Lingwu and Empress Dowager Su had been captured by Prince Jin.
The changing situation of the Great Xin Dynasty was something that Lu Jiang, a mere deputy general, dared not even think about, nor was it something he could even comprehend.
If he could, he would rather he had just gone deaf and hadn't heard anything!
Hahaha!
Chen Huai'an burst into hearty laughter again, but to the two deputy generals, Tang Ziyi and Lu Jiang, his loud and unrestrained laughter sounded somewhat like a death knell.
The fact that they've survived this turbulent time proves that neither Tang Ziyi nor Lu Jiang are fools.
The fact that the Prince of Jin would become emperor was a foregone conclusion long ago; it was only a matter of time.
Now, the news brought back by Wu Sanjia's personal guards is that the legitimate emperor of the Great Xin Dynasty, Emperor Lingwu, and his birth mother, Empress Dowager Su, have been captured by the Prince of Jin.
Once the news is exposed, how will His Highness Prince Jin be able to rightfully claim the throne in the future?
After all, from the very beginning, Prince Chen Huai'an of Jin raised his army under the banner of "purging the emperor's inner circle" to quell the rebellion, rather than rebelling.
However, faced with the Prince of Jin's probing questions, Tang Ziyi, a surrendered general, dared not lie in the slightest.
To put it bluntly, this is a crime of deceiving the emperor!
Therefore, after choosing to tell the truth, Tang Ziyi entrusted his life, fortune, and future entirely to Prince Chen Huai'an of Jin.
Lu Jiang, the deputy general of the Liangjiang New Army, was simply an unlucky guy who got caught up in the drama himself.
After a long silence, Chen Huai'an finally stopped laughing and said, word by word, "General Tang, I am very pleased that you have not deceived me in the slightest, but—"
Chen Huai'an changed the subject, and Tang Ziyi and Lu Jiang's hearts jumped into their throats.
He said slowly and deliberately, "The news that Wu Sanjia died in battle and Fang Tianyao surrendered is true, but the news that Emperor Lingwu and Empress Dowager Su were welcomed into the army by the officers and soldiers of the Longcheng Navy is untrue;"
"In fact, Emperor Lingwu and Empress Dowager Su had already committed suicide by jumping into the river before the Longcheng naval officers and soldiers entered the Daxin naval camp!"
After a pause, Chen Huai'an continued, "My original plan was to announce the passing of Emperor Lingwu only after leading the Longcheng Jingnan Army to capture Jinling City and end the corrupt rule of the treacherous minister Qin Ruhui;"
"Since rumors are already circulating within the Tiger Warriors' ranks, I have no choice but to take this opportunity to trouble General Tang to convey this message, so as to avoid causing misunderstandings among the people!"
"General Tang, what do you say?"
Tang Ziyi was a shrewd and astute man. He immediately clasped his hands in a fist and promised, "This humble general will obey His Highness Prince Jin's order and will make the truth about Emperor Lingwu's suicide by drowning public known to all!"
Um!
Chen Huai'an smiled and nodded, his gaze towards Tang Ziyi now showing a hint of "this kid is teachable."
Thus, through the words of Tang Ziyi, the deputy general of the Tiger Warriors, who had the most authority to speak on the matter, the news that the Great Xin Lingwu Emperor had committed suicide by drowning himself in the river was deemed authentic.
From then on, there was no longer an Emperor Lingwu, Zhao Lingwu; there was only Chen Lingwu, the adopted son of Chen Huai'an.
Furthermore, Chen Huai'an believed that with the wisdom of Tang Ziyi and Su Chen, the Governor-General of Liangjiang, they would naturally take the lead in inviting His Highness Prince Jin to ascend the throne and be crowned after the city of Jinling was captured, in order to appease the people.
He could then go through the motions of declining the throne three times, and his ascension to the throne would be a natural progression.
Upon realizing this, Chen Huai'an immediately ordered: "Deputy Generals Tang Ziyi and Lu Jiang!"
"Your subordinate is here!"
The two men simultaneously clasped their hands in a respectful gesture, awaiting the king's command.
Chen Huai'an said, "Lead the way and follow the Longcheng naval fleet straight to Jinling City to kill the traitor Qin Ruhui!"
"Your subordinate obeys!"
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