Chapter 123: Luring the Snake Out of the Hole

"Your Highness, this humble general almost... sigh..."

In the bedchamber, Zhao Xu lay on a rocking chair, Feng'er held a bowl of plum juice, and Luan'er was peeling grapes to feed to Zhao Xu at his side.

Chang Wei and Liu Fu were allowed to enter, and upon seeing Zhao Xu, they wore expressions of deep resentment.

"Indeed, Your Highness, you have made this subordinate suffer terribly." Liu Fu said, pointing to the bump on his head, "However, if Your Highness could reward this subordinate with one hundred taels of Silver to spend, this subordinate would feel much better."

Zhao Xu felt a slight touch of emotion in his heart; news of the two men's affairs had already reached his ears.

He had not used the wrong people.

Yet, he truly had not expected the two of them to be so loyal and steadfast.

Previously, he had thought that "a scholar dies for one who appreciates him" was merely a line in a book.

Now, he had truly witnessed it.

He smiled and said, "It is this King's fault, but the matter arose suddenly, and this King only acted on a whim."

Pausing for a moment, he added, "How about this: after this matter is over, this King will reward each of you with one hundred jars of Fine Wine."

Chang Wei and Liu Fu smiled with satisfaction upon hearing this; that was more like it.

Then, Liu Fu's expression turned solemn, "The great victory in Yan Commandery is a time for celebration, yet someone has assassinated Your Highness; it is simply detestable."

Chang Wei said, "The Great Song strictly forbids the private possession of Gunpowder, and the location and timing chosen by the assassin were also perfect, which shows it was meticulously planned."

Liu Fu nodded; they could vaguely guess who had the motive, but they dared not be certain.

And this was likely the reason Yan Wang was putting on a show.

"Do not think about it anymore; you only need to accompany this King in acting. Once they learn that this King is dead, the black hand behind the scenes will surely be unable to restrain itself." Zhao Xu took a sip of the plum juice Feng'er held to his lips.

The two men nodded.

After taking their leave, they deliberately left the bedchamber wailing all the way.

The commotion at the Prince's Mansion could not be hidden from the commoners living nearby.

That night.

The news that Yan Wang was dead drifted throughout all of Yancheng.

The Dong Family.

Yang Cheng and Lv Ran took advantage of the night to come and see Dong Yuan.

"Those who went to the Prince's Mansion were all blocked, but the Prince's Tutor and General Chang were crying very bitterly; it is estimated that Yan Wang is truly beyond saving," said Yang Cheng.

"Thinking back over these past few months, Yan Wang fought the Zhang, Huang, and Du Families for us, showed extra grace to our own clansmen, entrusted us with important tasks, and the merchant guild gave us great profits; I never expected that he would actually..." Lv Ran wiped away his tears as he spoke to this point.

Dong Yuan's expression was also bleak, and he said, "It is just that if Yan Wang is truly dead, we will inevitably suffer retaliation from the Yuan Family, and we certainly will not be able to stay in Yan Commandery."

Yang Cheng said, "That is what we meant by coming here. If Yan Wang is dead, this place will surely return to the Yuan Family. We would rather leave our homes than linger on under the Yuan Family's command."

Dong Yuan nodded, "Let us wait a little longer. If it is truly so, then we shall leave. In any case, a good horse does not eat grass it has turned away from."

A residence near the East Gate of Yancheng.

This was the courtyard of a Government Office official.

At this moment, an official was writing something under a lamp.

A woman stood to the side and asked, "Husband, what are you writing?"

"Yan Wang is dead, and Yan Commandery is about to change. A good friend of mine works under Prefect Yuan, so I am writing him a letter, asking him to put in a good word for me before Prefect Yuan. Once Prefect Yuan arrives, perhaps I will be able to rise rapidly in my career."

"

As his voice fell, the courtyard gate was suddenly knocked upon.

The family's servant opened the door, and two officials walked in.

One said, "Brother Li, have you received the news?"

"About Yan Wang?"

"Yes, it is said that Yan Wang was attacked and died of his injuries," the other said.

"Naturally, I have heard. It is unexpected that Yan Wang died in the prime of his life; it is a pity, a pity." The official surnamed Li wore a look of regret.

The two sighed, "If it is truly so, Brother Li, what are your plans?"

The official surnamed Li held up his letter for them to see, "A wise bird chooses its tree, that is all."

After reading it, the two looked at each other, and one of them was furious, "Yuan Li, you are a wolf-hearted and dog-lunged person! Yan Wang was righteous; even though he has passed, we cannot turn to such a beast. Brother Li, you truly make us scholars feel ashamed."

Having said this, the two flicked their sleeves and left.

The official surnamed Li sneered, "Hmph, stay or go as you please. One day, when I have attained a high position, I will settle the score with you for today's humiliation."

The North Camp.

The matter of Yan Wang had also spread here.

The half-drunk, half-sober soldiers were all weeping with sorrow.

A sorrowful atmosphere permeated the entire military camp.

In a certain barracks, a Colonel could not fall asleep for a long time.

In this battle, he had cowered and failed to advance, and he would likely face punishment next.

After struggling for a long while, he said to the soldiers around him, "Brothers, Yan Wang is dead, and Yan Commandery is finished. Do you want wealth and glory?"

The soldiers, who were sighing over the matter of Yan Wang, heard this and asked, "What wealth and glory?"

The commander said excitedly, "Why don't you defect to the Yuan Family with me? The Yuan Family has always been dissatisfied with Yan Wang and will surely reward you heavily."

At this moment, the soldiers all went quiet, their eyes staring straight at the Colonel.

"What is wrong with you all?" The Colonel sensed something was amiss.

"Traitor! We would not defect to the Yuan Family even if we died. When Yan Wang was alive, we were his soldiers; now that he is dead, we are still his soldiers. Brothers, it was his cowardice and fear of death during the battle that made our camp lose face, and now he still has the nerve to incite us to betray Yan Wang! Seize him and send him to General Chang!" a soldier roared.

As his voice fell, several soldiers pounced forward, pinned the Commandant to the ground, and dragged him out of the barracks.

……

On the official road from Yancheng to Fanyang, a fast horse galloped through the night toward Fanyang Commandery.

The next day, the fast horse entered Fanyang and went straight to the Yuan Family estate.

"Is Yan Wang really dead?" A gleam of excitement flashed in the eyes of Yuan Li, which were squeezed into mere slits by the fat on his face.

"It is absolutely true. The tutors and generals under Yan Wang all went to the prince's mansion, and they wept uncontrollably after coming out. The mansion is also filled with the sound of wailing. Now, many officials and generals in Yancheng are looking for their own ways out," the messenger said.

The fat on Yuan Li's face trembled slightly with excitement. "Good, good. Chen Ang has some ability; I didn't use the wrong man this time. What is he doing in Yancheng now?"

"He is currently recruiting officials and generals under Yan Wang for the Tatars."

Yuan Li nodded again and said, "Tomorrow, this Prefect will personally lead a great army to Yan Commandery to intimidate the petty scoundrels under Yan Wang. If Yan Wang's troops can be used by me, the status of my Yuan Family in Yanzhou will be unshakable."

Besides Yan Wang's troops, Yuan Li had also long coveted Yan Wang's industries.

In this war against the Northern Di, the armor of Yan Wang's soldiers was even rumored to be god-like.

And these things would soon be his.

Thinking of this, he truly could not wait.

Of course, there was also Zhang Kang; he had to get him out this time, lest anything unfavorable to him be leaked.

That same day, he mustered his troops and horses, and the next morning, the vast and mighty force of thirty thousand Yuan Family Black Armored Cavalry and fifty thousand infantry marched toward Yancheng.

By evening, Yuan Li had arrived at Yancheng.

Outside the Nan Cheng gate, he looked toward Yancheng, feeling smug and satisfied.

Raising his horse whip, he pointed arrogantly at the gate-guarding soldiers, "Go and call the person in charge of Yancheng, and tell them that I, Yuan Li, have arrived."