Chapter 191: Vigilance

"Someone, come here, drag him down and kill him, kill him..."

Yuan Li's face was twisted; the young man's words made him tremble with fear.

The young man showed no fear, "Lord Yuan can certainly kill me, but the letter of allegiance will still appear in the court of Great Song. Will you be exterminated by the decree of the Emperor of Great Song, or will you continue to hold Yanzhou after I let the Northern Di pass through the pass? Lord Yuan, you had better think clearly."

Guo Tu was wiping the sweat from his forehead incessantly on the side.

At this moment, he suddenly realized that the letter of allegiance was a trap from beginning to end.

A trap that had the Yuan Family firmly in its grip.

I fear that even if they killed Mo Di now, Enke would still make them cooperate with the Northern Di to take Yanguan.

The air went quiet for a moment.

Yuan Li was drenched in cold sweat; after a violent internal struggle, he said slowly, "Fine, I agree to your terms."

He had no way out this time.

The Yuan Family could not bear the charge of treason and colluding with the enemy.

Once this reached Jingshi, the days of the Yuan Family ruling Yanzhou would be over.

And his head would fall onto the cold ground of the Meridian Gate.

"Those who understand the times are heroes." The young man smiled lightly, "Lord Yuan is truly a hero. Please wait for my news, Lord Yuan. It will not take many days; once the order is received, I hope Lord Yuan will raise all the troops of the Yuan Family to take Yanguan with us Northern Di."

"Not many days?" Yuan Li keenly sensed the young man's wording and asked in surprise, "The Northern Di intend to wage war in the winter?"

"That is correct. Everyone thinks that after this snow, we will not wage war, but on the contrary, we intend to wage war at this very time to catch Yanguan off guard," the young man said slowly.

Upon hearing this, Yuan Li nodded silently.

The Northern Di were playing for real this time.

"Farewell, Lord Yuan. I hope we can meet again at the Royal Tent one day." The young man bowed slightly and turned to leave.

As the young man's figure disappeared, Yuan Li collapsed into his chair, as if all his strength had left him at that moment.

He was silent for a long while, then said to Guo Tu, "Chief Clerk Guo, come here."

Hearing this, Guo Tu ran over with small steps, "What are your orders, my lord? Wuwu..."

Before he could finish his sentence, Yuan Li suddenly drew his sword and pierced his throat.

"I only just remembered now, you have a hundred poisonous schemes, yet not one has succeeded, and now you have caused me to fall into such a plight. What use is there in keeping you!" Yuan Li gritted his teeth.

Guo Tu's blood splattered onto his face; he violently pulled out his sword and hacked fiercely at Guo Tu until his flesh was a blur.

"Someone, clean the floor." Yuan Li shouted at this time, threw his sword on the ground, and sat in the main seat.

He no longer needed Guo Tu, and he no longer needed schemes and tricks.

Now, only one path remained before the Yuan Family.

This path was to become a loyal servant of the Northern Di.

And he would personally pave this path for the Yuan Family.

Yancheng.

After Zhao Xu learned from the Flame Guard about the Yuan Family's assassination attempt on Mo Di, he sent Chen Hu into Ping County to head toward Lulong Mountain.

Having waited for more than two days without any news, he could not help but feel a bit anxious.

"If General Mo has met with an accident, what will happen to Yanguan?"

In the Council Hall, Chang Wei looked worried.

He had originally intended to go himself, but was stopped by Zhao Xu.

After all, the situation was very complex, and they might need to raise a large army to respond at any time.

"Indeed, if the Northern Di come again and General Mo is gone, whether Yanguan can be held is unknown. This time Yuan Li is too arrogant; what exactly does he want to do?" Liu Fu said angrily.

"The struggle for the position of Main General of Yanguan in the court has never ceased. Perhaps someone instigated Yuan Li to kill General Mo, wishing to take Yanguan for themselves to increase their power in the court," Chang Wei pondered.

"That is possible." Zhao Xu nodded, "However, there is another possibility..."

Zhao Xu recalled the news brought to him by Xu E: Guo Tu, a strategist under Yuan Li, had once been to the Grassland.

Could this matter be a case of collusion between Yuan Li and the Northern Di?

He could not help but fall into deep thought.

If this were the case, Yanzhou would be in big trouble.

After all, in contemporary history, treacherous officials who colluded with the enemy and betrayed their country were everywhere.

During the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period, there was Shi Jingtang who ceded the Yanyun Sixteen Prefectures to the Khitan,

Recognized the Khitan Emperor as his father, and borrowed Khitan troops to vie for the Central Plains.

At the end of the Ming Dynasty, there was Wu Sangui who surrendered Shanhai Pass and defected to the enemy.

As far as he was concerned, he did not trust the integrity of people like Yuan Li at all.

After all, the Yuan Family had once privately sold military weapons to the Northern Di.

Just as he was thinking, someone suddenly came to report that Chen Hu had returned.

The three were overjoyed upon hearing this and immediately left the Prince's Mansion.

But upon arriving outside the mansion gate, the three were stunned.

Because besides Chen Hu, there was another person looking at them with a smile.

"Your Highness, this humble general has arrived. I wonder if Your Highness will take me in." Zhong Li smiled dashingly, cupped his fists, and bowed.

"This..." Zhao Xu and the other two were all stunned.

Chen Hu laughed, "Your Highness, the Mo father and son have safely arrived at Yanguan; this is all thanks to Captain Zhong Li..."

Having said that, he recounted how Zhong Li had raised troops to defect from the Yuan Family and rescue Mo Di.

Upon hearing this, the three nodded slightly.

Zhao Xu said, "I was afraid you wouldn't come; good, now my command has gained another great general."

Chang Wei was so happy he could see nothing but his own teeth.

The Prince's Personal Army was currently severely lacking in cavalry commanders.

And Zhong Li was precisely an excellent cavalry commander, with experience in how to train cavalry.

Furthermore, this time Zhong Li seemed to have brought quite a few veteran cavalrymen to join Yan Wang's command; how could he not be happy?

Liu Fu also wore a smile, with a hint of small pride in it.

After all, it was he who had saved Zhong Li's father, so he had a share of the credit.

Upon learning that the Mo Family father and son were safe, everyone breathed a sigh of relief.

Zhao Xu said, "Tonight, we shall hold a banquet at the Prince's Mansion to welcome Captain Zhong Li to the Prince's Personal Army."

Hearing this, Zhong Li's smile gradually brightened.

He now felt extreme loathing for the Yuan Family.

Being able to join Yan Wang's command, he felt as if he were a fish back in water.

After speaking a few more words, Zhao Xu had Chang Wei go to settle Zhong Li and the soldiers under his command.

That evening, he held a banquet at the Prince's Mansion to host Zhong Li, and also called the military commanders to accompany them.

The Wine had gone around three rounds.

Everyone was in high spirits.

Zhong Li suddenly said, "Your Highness, Yuan Li's assassination attempt on General Mo is a grave crime, but it is a pity that I did not have time to capture a Yuan Family soldier alive; it is somewhat regrettable."

"Captain Zhong need not blame yourself; the situation was urgent at the time, and it is already a great fortune that you were able to rescue General Mo and arrive safely in Yancheng," Zhao Xu said.

"As for this matter of the assassination, regardless of whether there is evidence or not, I must submit a memorial to impeach Yuan Li, and I believe General Mo Di will also submit a memorial to have the Imperial Court punish him," Zhao Xu said.

Zhong Li nodded upon hearing this.

Zhao Xu continued, "However, this is not what I am most worried about; what I worry about is Yuan Li's motive for killing General Mo."

Then, he shared the intelligence he had obtained with everyone.

Zhong Li, Chang Wei, and the others sobered up more than halfway upon hearing this, feeling a chill down their backs.

Chang Wei said, "Your Highness, we should currently keep an eye on the Yuan Family, and additionally have the soldiers of the Prince's Personal Army make preparations to deal with any unforeseen changes."

"That is exactly what I was about to say; I have already sent men to Fanyang to monitor the Yuan Family, and the preparations within the army must be left to you all," Zhao Xu said.

Chang Wei's expression was grave as he nodded.