Chapter 254 - Death
“Your Highness, wouldn't it be too rushed and too risky?” State Duke Heng looked at the red circle and felt that either Crown Prince was crazy or he was crazy.
“How many chances do you think we have?” Crown Prince Zhao asked.
“Does His Highness mean… North Yue is ready to fight back?”
“That may not be the case. According to the way we passed the test, the North Yue might not be able to counterattack.”
“Then why is this the best time to attack the capital? Half of the North Yue's territory has been seized. It's time to accumulate strength and fight to the death with us. I'm afraid it won't be easy to take down the city now.”
“The reason we chose this time is because the North Yue won't be able to take care of us for the next three months. We also have to make it seem like we can't take down Xu Province for a long time, so that they can relax their vigilance.” Crown Prince Zhao made a mark on Xu Province, which was the closest to Yan Province.
State Duke Heng was shocked. After thinking about it carefully, he still didn't understand why North Yue had no clones. “Has His Highness used any other tricks?”
Crown Prince Zhao didn't say it explicitly, but State Duke Heng could guess something from his expression. It was like a chess piece that had been buried in the Chu Province for decades in the North Yue. How could the South Jin never do something like this?
This kind of secret thread would only be used once in their lives, and they only had one chance. Some people even had no chance to serve their country in their entire lives.
State Duke Heng did not pursue the matter. After all, this was a secret matter. Crown Prince Zhao's deployment might not even be known to the king.
He stroked his beard and said with a smile, “In this way, we will be able to return victorious very soon. I'm really looking forward to it!”
In his lifetime, if he could see South Jin unifying the world and personally participate in it, this glory would probably last for a hundred generations.
State Duke Heng was very satisfied that he was sent out by the king. He was the only one among the seven great dukes. When he returned, he would see those old ghosts not envy him to death!
“By the way, State Duke Lu's illness…”
Crown Prince Zhao's brows twitched and he said without changing his expression, “The military doctor said it was a stroke and he has already been sent back to Ye City. Has the duke ever gone to visit?”
“No. Maybe he is seriously ill. He walked slowly. I did not see him return to Ye City when I left.”
“Oh.” Crown Prince Zhao did not care about State Duke Lu's body, but it was not good to let him die outside. Therefore, he had sent a lot of people to escort him along the way. It was normal that he didn't arrive as soon as he wanted to be safe.
“However, even if he recovers, I'm afraid that he will not be able to bear the consequences. The King is furious.”
“It's indeed good for him to die like this. Do you know what he's doing?” Crown Prince Zhao's face was angry. State Duke Heng was shocked and quickly asked, “What is it?”
He thought that State Duke Lu would only end up like this because he could not lead a good army or fight for power with Crown Prince. Why did it seem like this was not the only result?
“When the army set off, they gathered countless medicinal herbs with the power of the entire city. There were more than ten vehicles transporting the medicinal herbs, but who knew that the army was only in Chu Province for half a year. After the battle that they lost without fighting, some of the medicinal herbs disappeared without a trace.”
“What? That…”
“He hid it well. He bribed the military doctor's adjutant. That official is an old fool who doesn't care about anything. The two of them colluded and sold precious medicinal herbs, making a fortune in the country!”
“Damn it!” State Duke Heng did not expect that the people who fought for military merit together in the past would fall to such a state. Could it be that State Duke Lu was still short of money?
Even if he lacked money, he could not exchange the lives of his soldiers for money, right?
“Did you report this to the king?”
Crown Prince Zhao shook his head, “I do not want Crown Princess to know. I will hide it for now. There will be a chance to settle accounts in the future.”
“I'm afraid that the sinner won't live that long!”
“Even if he's lucky, the Xia family's glory has come to an end.”
State Duke Heng was silent. The State Protector family had already dispersed and their titles had been stolen. State Duke Lu was about to disappear, and the rest of them had no idea how many generations they could pass on.
However, State Duke Heng was very optimistic about all of this. When his son had been a failure, he had never thought of asking him to revitalize the Ping family. If his son had made a great contribution, what else could he ask for?
As long as the Ping family did not fall before his eyes, he would be able to rest in peace.
“Your Highness, I have troubled you to take care of my son these past few years. This old official here thanks you!” State Duke Heng sincerely bowed.
“Noble Heir has today. The one who should thank is Crown Princess. But he is also able to live up to his expectations. Otherwise, the mud will not be able to support the wall.”
“Yes, yes. This old official's kindness to Crown Princess is engraved in my heart.”
“He does not ask for much. As long as his sister is able to live well, it will be considered as repaying his kindness.”
State Duke Heng laughed, “Crown Princess, please rest assured on this point. Ya is dignified and virtuous. Her personality is straightforward. There is no better daughter-in-law than this. If Shun'er dares to bully her one day, this old official will be the first to disagree!”
Crown Prince Zhao nodded and did not want to interfere too much in the family matters of the ministers, “Go and invite Vice Commander Lu and the others to discuss the siege matters together!”
State Duke Heng stopped him and reminded him, “Your Highness, since you want to keep it a secret, why not just let some people know?” No one could guarantee that there were no spies from North Yue in their army. This battle could not afford to make any mistakes.
“The Duke is worried!”
After a night, the entire army received a piece of news. Crown Prince Zhao ordered the army to continue moving forward and attack Xu Province, which was two hundred miles away.
This news was not sudden, and they did not feel anything was wrong. However, in the afternoon, another order was passed down.
According to His Highness's estimation, the number of guards in the Xu Province was limited, and there was really no need for them to go all out. Therefore, only Deputy Commander Lu led thirty thousand soldiers to attack the Xu Province, while Crown Prince led his men to take a detour to attack another city.
Apart from that, a secret letter was sent to the Chu Province. Crown Prince ordered General Hu to lead troops up north overnight, using the Yan Province as their base. They had to guard the city gate of the Yan Province well. If they were defeated, the Yan Province would be their resting place.
However, in this way, the Chuzhou City became a city like a piece of paper. As long as the enemy attacked it, they could easily break through it.
Crown Prince Zhao left the five thousand heavily armored soldiers in the army that attacked the Xu Province. He brought the other five thousand Black Armored Guard and nearly fifty thousand men to the capital.
They did not take the main road. They avoided all the cities and villages, choosing the difficult roads. Although the roads were difficult, they took a straight line and crossed the mountains. They did not spend much time on the road than they had planned.
As they approached the capital, Crown Prince Zhao did not ask anyone to continue on their journey. Instead, he found a remote mountain to rest for the time being, and sent someone to inquire about the news at the same time.
At this time of year, the North Yue was already in spring. Occasionally, they would encounter spring snow and injure many people. Fortunately, the Frost Sore Ointment that Tang Yue had prepared was very effective. Each person had a small bottle. Basically, no one who didn't freeze for a few days would have any problems.
After resting for a day and night, the people who were sent out hurried back. Each and every one of them had a happy expression on their faces.
“Your Highness, good news!”
“Speak.”
“The North Yue King has passed away,” the man said. As soon as he finished speaking, the surrounding deputy generals surrounded him and asked what exactly was going on.
“This matter has already spread throughout the streets and alleys. The North Yue King is already very old this year. I heard that it was because of the continuous losses in the war and the occupation of his territory. He was so angry that his heart was beating fast.”
“Which prince has succeeded the throne?”
“The North Yue King has great authority and did not appoint a crown prince in advance. Previously, he intended to appoint the fourth prince of the North Yue. However, a few days ago, the fourth prince suddenly died in his home. In his anger, the North Yue King vomited blood that night and stopped breathing in the early morning. Now, the imperial court of the North Yue is in chaos. Each of them has their own favorite successor, and they are fighting fiercely. However, I heard that the capital has been completely locked down. The city gates are tightly shut, and no one is allowed to enter or exit.”
“This is a good opportunity. There are no leaders in the group. The North Yue is now a pile of loose sand.” Wang Dingjun suggested, “Your Highness, why don't we wait for a few days and wait for those princes to fight each other to the death. Then, we will kill them all!”
Crown Prince Zhao was silent for a long time. When everyone thought he would agree to this suggestion, he suddenly asked the soldier. “Are you sure it was the fourth prince who died in the house?”
The soldier was stunned for a moment, then nodded. “Indeed. I heard the fourth prince, but I haven't found out if there was any mistake.”
“Your Highness, is there anything wrong?” Everyone revealed a puzzled expression.
Crown Prince Zhao did not hide anything. “Do you know who is the most talented prince in North Yue? Who is most likely to become our greatest enemy?”
“I heard that the Fourth Prince was smart since he was young. He learned from the Great Sage and advocated benevolence and governance. He was the prince most loved by the people. In addition, the Seventh Prince seemed to have a greater advantage. His mother's family was humble and used their own abilities to make a name for themselves among the many princes. They were good in both civil and political martial arts. It was said that they were admired by the North Yue King.”
“The Fourth Prince was too indecisive. It was difficult for him to achieve great things. The Seventh Prince was narrow-minded and petty. He was not a wise ruler.”
“Then are there other princes who are still holding back?”
Crown Prince Zhao nodded and wrote two words on the ground.
“Isn't this… the second prince who was crippled more than ten years ago? I heard that there were rumors that he was going to make him the crown prince, but he colluded with the generals of the court and tried to force them to rebel. However, nothing happened. Only a few clues were found, so he was imprisoned by the king of North Yue.”
Naturally, South Jin knew about such a big matter. However, no one had expected that the person who should have been eliminated would become the person that Crown Prince mentioned most likely to become the Bright Lord.
“After all these years of investigation, it has proven that the Second Prince is innocent. He was framed by someone. He has endured for more than ten years and secretly nurtured his power. He was waiting for the moment when the North Yue King passed away. Originally, I wanted to take his life, but I don't know why the person who died was the Fourth Prince.”
“I wonder if there is any news about the Second Prince outside.” Wang Dingjun looked at the soldiers who were gathering information.
They looked at each other and shook their heads. “I have never heard of him. Why don't I go and find out more?”
Crown Prince Zhao waved his hand. “You have been tired for many days. Take a rest first. Change to another group of people. You must have them. Find out more about the Second Prince.”
“Yes, my lord.”
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