Chapter 266: The Situation Reaches a Stalemate

The Crown Prince was still on the road when he received Liu Zheng's proclamation to the world!

Bang!

Crown Prince Xie Fang was so enraged that he practically tore his Horse Carriage apart, his face turning livid: "Prefect Liu, you bully me too much! He is completely disregarding me, the Crown Prince of the Eastern Palace!"

He had not expected Liu Zheng to be so unyielding this time!

The Crown Prince's group of Think Tank members also looked at one another in dismay.

Everyone knew that this Prefect Liu was now famous throughout the world, enjoying a moment of unparalleled glory. But they had not expected him to show the Crown Prince absolutely no respect! He had directly dragged out matters that no one wanted to mention—the attitude of Liangzhou Prefecture this time! Chen Ping's inaction, Changzhou's inescapable blame—every single one of these charges was solid and real!

Was this not slapping the Crown Prince in the face in public?

In reality, the Crown Prince had not intended to truly fight when he led his army here this time. After all, his status was noble; wherever he went, he was worshipped by others. He truly did not believe that Jiang Xuan would dare to start a real war against his Crown Prince Army—more importantly, if it were him, he might not necessarily be able to win!

Who didn't know that the Yinzhou Army was invincible and unstoppable?

At this moment, Qin Zhangfeng had brought another twenty thousand Yinzhou Army troops to provide support; thirty thousand Yinzhou Army troops possessed a combat effectiveness that was nothing short of terrifying. Furthermore, they had claimed to have a righteous cause for their actions.

This left the Crown Prince in a bit of a dilemma.

Advance?

If this Prefect Liu truly gave you no face, what could you do? Would you not just have to leave in disgrace?

Retreat?

Having just come here to snatch the credit, if he were to leave now, where would the Crown Prince's face be?

Actually.

The most crucial point was still this.

Liu Zheng was on the verge of defeating the plague this time... What did this mean? A royal title was waiting for him! Xie Tianyao was still alive and had not passed away; at this time, none of the princes of the Longyan Dynasty had been granted a royal title yet... If Liu Dahao were to take this royal title, then when you, the Crown Prince, met Liu Dahao, you would have to perform a grand salute.

If people didn't give you face, wasn't that normal?

"Your Highness..."

"This matter still requires deliberation!"

"We... we have no need to go and get ourselves rebuffed!"

The group of advisors spoke all at once.

Xie Fang shouted angrily: "A bunch of useless trash, a bunch of useless trash! Then you tell me, what should this Prince do now! Hmm? The people of the world are all watching this Prince; are you suggesting I just turn back and go home!"

One person suggested: "Your Highness, Prefect Liu is on the verge of curing the plague; his brilliance is currently blinding, and his name as a Contemporary Sage is known throughout the four seas. This subordinate believes it is not advisable to be overly rigid with him..."

Upon hearing this, the Crown Prince gritted his teeth: "Are you saying you want this Prince to bow his head to him?"

He listened, his anger burning.

He, a dignified Crown Prince, had to bow his head to the son of a merchant? And what would bowing his head mean... It would mean he would completely abandon Chen Ping and Wen Yang, these pawns of his influence in Liangzhou, and switch to supporting Liu Zheng?

With a gloomy face, he fell into deep thought.

No!

He still could not endure this humiliation!

A cold look flashed in Xie Fang's eyes: "Immediately send a letter to Chen Ping, assemble the Liangzhou Army, and come to my aid!"

The crowd was shocked and tried to dissuade him one after another.

With the plague at hand, to stir up such military conflict was a terrible omen!

However, Xie Fang was stubborn and acted with absolute authority; a letter had already been sent to Liangzhou.

The advisors looked at each other, their hearts pounding.

Could it be that Liangzhou was truly about to fall into chaos?

"Young Master, Young Master, the number of those recovered today has risen again!"

"Dunhuang can be considered stabilized..."

"Zheng, you can rest for a while now."

The situation here in Dunhuang was slowly improving; this city, which had once been deathly still, finally began to have some signs of life.

A group of people looked at Liu Zheng, who had not slept for several days again, and felt very heartbroken.

Liu Zheng laughed and said: "The situation in Changzhou is not yet optimistic; I intend to go over there and take a look."

Qingyang Shuo frowned slightly: "Is the Young Master worried about Jiang Xuan?"

Liu Zheng nodded and sighed: "The Crown Prince is, after all, the Crown Prince, the heir to the throne; it won't do to offend him too deeply. Although Jiang Xuan acted out of necessity, his temper is still too volatile. If there is any friction between the two armies, it would not be good."

Qingyang Shuo smiled: "The Young Master has become much more mature in his actions. The Crown Prince cannot enter the city, yet there is no need to start a war; this is the most wonderful situation!"

Liu Zheng nodded.

Just at this moment, a soldier suddenly ran in: "Young Master, someone has sent a secret Han!"

The crowd looked at each other.

A secret Han?

Liangzhou at this time was filled with undercurrents; the Liangzhou Prefecture on the side of the Emperor, Zheng Yuxing on the side of the Third Prince, and the Yinzhou Army on Liu Zheng's side—the three forces were intricate and complex, and there were many intertwined interest groups. Who could have sent a secret Han at this time?

Liu Zheng hurriedly tore it open, read a few lines, and was immediately overjoyed: "Heaven helps me! Heaven truly helps me!"

The crowd gathered around one after another.

It turned out that this secret Han was sent specifically to Liu Zheng by Ma Yong when he left Liangzhou. It clearly stated the cause and effect of this plague; Chen Ping and Wen Yang had played a decisive role in fueling the rampant spread of the plague! Furthermore, it informed Liu Zheng that he was already on his way back to the capital to report this matter to the Emperor.

Chen Ping was finished!

Liu Dahao took a deep breath, his eyes filled with murderous intent: "This old thief Chen Ping is truly devoid of conscience! Last time the Xiongnu invaded on a large scale, he was already suspected of colluding with the Xiongnu, but the matter was suppressed by the Crown Prince. This time, he actually disregarded the lives of the common people; he deserves to die!"

The crowd also sighed endlessly.

This matter was truly too big.

This plague affected the hearts of the entire world, and even the imperial court and Xie Tianyao did not dare to take it lightly. Who could have imagined that this was actually man-made, and not merely a natural disaster!

Liu Zheng held the letter in his hand and gave a cold laugh: "Liangzhou will soon be entirely in my grasp!"

Qingyang Shuo suggested: "Young Master, since things have reached this point, why not head to Changzhou early and present the Crown Prince with a grand gift?"

Liu Zheng and Qingyang Shuo looked at each other and laughed heartily.

Indeed, a grand gift.

This truly was a grand gift!

This was a grand gift Ma Yong was sending to Liu Zheng, and likewise a grand gift Liu Zheng was sending to the Crown Prince. Chen Ping was about to fall from power, and his death would not be a pity.

Since this matter was already set in stone, there was no need for Liu Zheng to have any further conflict with the Crown Prince.

"Quickly, prepare my horse, we depart immediately!"

Liu Zheng calculated the time; the Crown Prince was almost at Changzhou. Delay would be costly, so he had Pei Qianyun follow him, and they galloped toward Changzhou.

At this time.

Liangzhou Prefecture.

Chen Ping flew into a rage: "Preposterous! This Liu Family brat bullies me too much! He actually announced to the world that I was passive and negligent in the epidemic? Just by him? Just by him, a prodigal son? Hmm?"

His voice echoed in Liangzhou Prefecture for a long time.

However, the group of people below kept their heads lowered, not daring to let out a single peep.

These civil and military officials of Liangzhou Prefecture had been living in fear these past few days.

There was no other reason.

The entire world was condemning and criticizing the inaction and passivity displayed by Liangzhou Prefecture during this epidemic.

Even.

The claims that Chen Ping and Wen Yang had deliberately released the refugees were also rampant.

These people were also representatives of various interest groups in Liangzhou. At this moment, when the credibility of Liangzhou Prefecture was being questioned, the first thing they thought of was whether the interests of the groups they represented would be damaged, and no longer whether Chen Ping could continue to sit in the position of Inspector.

Therefore.

Regarding Chen Ping.

They now had an extra measure of wariness, estrangement, and distrust.

"Speak! Why don't you speak!"

Chen Ping shouted angrily.

The group of people remained silent.

Chen Ping gave a cold laugh: "Fine, you bunch of filthy wretches, you're in such a hurry to kick a man when he's down, aren't you? Aren't you? Don't think I don't know how you harmed Liu Dahao before. Do you really think that if he were enfeoffed as a Viscount and held control of Liangzhou, you would have good days ahead?"

Once these words were spoken, one person finally stepped out from the crowd, cupped his hands and said: "My Lord, the Liu Family father and son are truly arrogant. This subordinate believes that now is the time for us to raise an army!"

A flash of killing intent crossed his eyes: "Uphold the majesty of the Crown Prince and execute the rebel Liu Zheng!"

The entire hall erupted with a loud buzz.

Everyone's expression changed.

【Author's Note】

Thank you to "Congqian" and "Cuigeng Yige" for the continuous tips, thank you, thank you...