"Has the prefect not returned yet?"
In Liuzhou, Deputy General Wu You sat in the main hall, his face darkening as he looked at the alluring, languid woman before him.
He had thought of many ways to deal with Chen Qing's attempts to stall him, and how to use the greater good to force Hong Lie to join him in taking back military power from Chen Qing. But he never expected that Chen Qing would not show up at all!
The key issue is that if he simply didn't show his face, he could just seize power directly. But the situation in Liuzhou is truly bizarre, and he's genuinely hesitant to take action!
First of all, this woman who was nominally in charge of military affairs in Liuzhou was a very difficult person to deal with.
Shen Family
The Shen family has always been a very special presence in Jiangnan. To put it bluntly, the Shen Family family is like a local tyrant in Jiangnan, co-ruling with the Great Jin. At this time, the fact that a member of the Shen Family has completely sided with the prefect is a real headache.
This woman held a high position in the Shen family. The name of Feng Wang Murong Yunji was renowned in the north back then. For such a person to coldly tell you that the city defenses of Liuzhou were given to her by Chen Qing, and if you want them back, only Chen Qing can take them back. She didn't know any of those other so-called generals.
That's so unreasonable, there's really nothing you can do about it!
"Your prefect is very secretive; I really don't know when he'll be back," Murong Yunji said with a yawn. "I'm tired. If this general has nothing else, I'd like to go chat with Xu Battle God."
"Uh..." Wu You's face darkened. "Madam Shen, we were sent by the imperial court, and Lord Shen of the Ministry of War is fully cooperating with us."
"I'm cooperating fully too," Murong Yunji said with a smile. "As a woman, I shouldn't be getting involved in this, but since I'm in the middle of it, and Lord Chen persuaded me with righteous indignation, I had no choice but to step forward."
"That would be too difficult for you, Madam," Wu You said with a forced smile.
That woman, Da Yi, really dares to say such things. I wonder what kind of spell Chen Qing cast on this slut? She actually dares to confront an official from the imperial court head-on!
"In that case, I shall take my leave." Murong Yunji said with a smile, "General, please feel free to call upon me if you need anything."
"Haha, you're too kind, Madam," Wu You helplessly as she asked the other person to leave.
After the other person left, he looked at Hong Lie, who was standing to the side in a daze, and asked, "What are you looking at?"
"That woman's got some nerve!" Hong Lie licked his lips. "She has a huge ass!"
"Laborer..." Wu You thought this guy was deep in thought about something serious, and almost burst out cursing, "Can't you be serious for once? That woman is not something you can even think about!"
"What can't I think about?" Hong Lie picked his nose. "If it weren't for the fact that she might be my benefactor's woman, I would have gone to her bed last night."
"Even if you were crippled last night!" Wu You laughed angrily. "Didn't your father tell you about her reputation? And what makes you think she's Chen Qing's woman?"
"If you're not Chen Qing's woman, why should you take the blame for Chen Qing?" Hong Lie asked blankly.
"With a brain like yours, you'd be better off guarding the gates in the capital!" Wu You glared at the other person. " For Chen Qing to be able to order her around, he must have promised her a huge benefit!"
"What great benefits could Chen Qing possibly offer her?" Hong Lie chuckled. "His salary isn't even a fraction of mine."
"I"
Wu You took a breath, deciding not to dwell on the issue, and continued, "If I were to forcibly seize power, Hong Lie, how confident do you think you are?"
Hong Lie glanced at Wu You, his smile fading. "Are you serious?"
"I know it's difficult," Wu You said in a low voice, "But we really can't let this situation go unchecked. You've seen it yourself, these people all inexplicably trust those so-called gods, those gatekeepers, those Battle God. What gods are there in this world? It's all just a gimmick created by that prefect!"
"So what?" Hong Lie frowned.
"Well? Didn't you see how superstitious those civilians and soldiers were?" Wu You a gloomy face, "Believe it or not, even if those so-called gods told those soldiers to rebel now, they wouldn't even bat an eye?"
Hong Lie was taken aback. "That's a bit of a jab."
"To destroy their spirit? Ha." Wu You sneered, "I've led troops for so many years, I can't be wrong. These soldiers are the same as the private soldiers of the family bloodline; they are Chen Qing's private soldiers!"
This is also why he dared not directly take action to suppress the rebellion, because judging from the soldiers' reactions, if he dared to take action, it would definitely provoke a mutiny!
"In that case," Hong Lie said, looking at Wu You, "We absolutely cannot take action."
Why?
"Because we can't win," Hong Lie bluntly shrugged. "You saw how those soldiers behaved against the zombies at the city gate. In terms of military strength, our three thousand Black Dragon Navy are indeed elite, while the enemy's defending army is only two thousand. But if a real battle breaks out, it will definitely be our soldiers who die."
"What about you?" Wu You frowned. He was an assistant general, and he wasn't sure about his combat strength.
"I can't beat Murong Yunji."
"So you still want to sleep with him?"
"Those are two different things," Hong Lie shook his head. "Why must we seize power? Isn't it good that Chen Qing has some strength now? As long as we can hold Liuzhou, why cause trouble at this time?"
"I feel a little uneasy," Wu You, looking outside with concern.
The population of Liuzhou is increasing every Heavenly Capital. The situation here is far better than that of Nanming Prefecture, and it is getting better and better. It gives the impression that they are taking advantage of the chaos to accumulate strength.
In addition to these strange deities, he felt it necessary to take precautions for the imperial court!
"If you really want to take action," Hong Lie thought for a moment and said, "You can secretly send messages outside. Didn't we already say that the messages the wooden bird sent before were all true?"
"That was before," Wu You said quietly. "I sent a message yesterday, but I haven't heard back at all."
"Huh? Is the wooden bird broken?"
"Are you out of your mind!" Wu You rolled her eyes at him, too lazy to pay him any attention, but a sense of worry began to creep into her heart.
The letter... it seems unlikely to get through!
The Duke had previously worried that these letters might have been replaced, which is why he had Wang Ye, a living person who could come and go, verify them.
Judging from the current situation, it seems that Wang Ye is intentionally concealing the situation in Liuzhou!
Otherwise, the Duke would never have sent such a small force!
Chen Qing and Wang Ye are in cahoots!
What are they trying to do?
Meanwhile, outside the blockade, the Duke of Qin did receive a letter from Wu You, but just as Wu You had predicted, the letter had been switched.
"What do you mean?" Shen Yinian asked with concern.
"The letter says the situation is not bad," the Duke of Qin said, his brow furrowed as he read the contents of the letter.
"With His Majesty's arrangements in place for Liuzhou, and now that Wu You and Hong Lie have taken over the defense, the situation in Liuzhou is even more stable."
"That sounds like a good idea," Shen Yinian said with a smile.
"That sounds a bit unrealistic." Duke of Qin shook his head and smiled wryly. He had met Chen Qing, that young man, and he wasn't an honest person. He didn't think the other party would so easily let Wu You and the others take over the defense.
It's highly likely that the letter is fake!
But if the letter is false, it means two terrifying things: First, Chen Qing has absolute control over Liuzhou and can directly take down Hong Lie, Wu You, and the three thousand Black Dragon elites!
Second, Wang Ye is on Chen Qing's side, no matter what Chen Qing wants to do!
"It really is coughing!" The Duke of Qin coughed violently.
"Your Excellency, please take care of your health!" Everyone around him hurriedly showed their concern, including the Crown Prince with his hypocritical expression.
"It's alright." The Duke wiped away the blood he coughed up and looked at the vast fog on the river. "Why do they all want to cause trouble? Wouldn't it be better if everyone just stayed quiet?"
"Let me help you to rest," the Crown Prince said with a smile as he stepped forward.
The surrounding military officers all frowned, but the Duke of Qin nodded slightly. "I'm troubling Your Highness."
"Your Excellency, you are too kind. Although I am the Crown Prince, I am still your junior. It is only right that I do so." The Crown Prince smiled and helped the Duke of Qin up. His obviously gloating smile made the group of lieutenants furious!
What is this thing?
And so, the two slowly entered a tent. A faint barrier was erected outside the tent, making it impossible to see what was real and what was not. Shen Yinian frowned as he watched the backs of the Crown Prince and the Duke of Qin.
--
"Uncle Lu, your health has deteriorated too much!"
Once inside the tent, the prince's demeanor completely changed; the eagerness on his face was a stark contrast to his previous hypocrisy!
"It's alright," the Duke of Qin coughed twice more, "I've been in this state for many years, Your Highness need not worry."
"How can I not worry?" The Crown Prince frowned. "You shouldn't have taken on this matter. The situation in Jiangnan is already complicated, and this demon incident looks extremely troublesome. If you are forced to take action and damage the foundation, how can I explain it to Brother Lu and the others?"
"How can we possibly escape this?" The Duke of Qin shook his head and smiled bitterly. "By the way, that letter of yours... have you found out who gave it to you?"
"I can't find it," the Crown Prince shook his head. "There's not a trace. At first, I thought Wang Ye had given it to me secretly, but judging from Vice Minister Wang's expression, it probably wasn't him."
"That's strange." Duke of Qin frowned. "The child in the fox demon's arms is your life essence. His Majesty certainly wouldn't want you to know. If it's not His Majesty, then who else could it be?"
"It's highly likely that it's the person who orchestrated the Thousand-Faced Fox's entry into the capital!" The Crown Prince's expression was grave.
"Many people speculate that the Thousand-Faced Fox incident is related to you, Uncle Lu, but I know that you would never harm the Empress Dowager!"
If anyone were there, their eyes would have jumped out of their sockets in shock.
The usually tyrannical and hypocritical Crown Prince actually has such a face, and he's so intimately connected with the Duke of Qin, whom the royal family fears most!
"In this capital, besides His Majesty, I am actually the only one capable of orchestrating such a thing— the Duke of Song, Liu Yu!" The Duke of Qin frowned deeply. "In fact, I initially suspected Liu Yu the most, but Liu Yu is dead, that much is certain. But if it wasn't His Majesty, then it can only be a traitor among my subordinates, and the one among my subordinates most likely to have done such a thing is..."
"The Governor-General of the West Sea!" the Crown Prince interjected, "Is the son most likely to inherit your title, Uncle Lu!"
Is Your Highness ready?
"I'm ready!" The Crown Prince straightened his body. "The Empress Dowager's revenge must be taken. No matter who it is, I will not let them get away with it!"