Four Harmonies and Good Fortune

Chapter 825 Deliberately

The King of Qin dared not go, fearing that if he tried to persuade them, he would be captured by the ambushing men and sent to Bianjing.

If they encounter someone who is audacious and reckless, they might be killed immediately, and their head used to gain fame and fortune.

Thinking of this, the King of Qin suddenly felt a surge of hatred. The Duke of Wei hadn't even helped him seize the throne yet, and he dared to act so presumptuously, forcing him to do things. But at this critical moment, he dared not show it in the slightest, and could only stammer, "Those people… what if they refuse to listen…"

Duke Wei was surprised that the King of Qin refused to agree.

Duke Wei even suspected that this was the court's... no, it was the Wang family's father and son's doing, sending him a terrified King of Qin.

It's useless, but we can't throw it away.

Duke Wei had no choice but to patiently say, "Then use the troops I gave you to take them all down. Since they are unwilling to follow you, then just kill them."

The King of Qin still refused to agree.

Duke Wei snorted coldly: "If you don't even have this much courage, how can you convince those people? Without the demeanor of an official, who would be willing to risk their life to follow you?"

"This could cost you your head."

The King of Qin's heart softened slightly, but when he thought of his near-death experiences on the way, the hairs on his body stood on end: "Otherwise, I will send my trusted confidant."

Duke Wei could not suppress his anger: "Your confidant has more face than I do? It's no use me saying anything, yet he can solve the problem?"

The King of Qin was speechless, and then fell completely silent.

Seeing this, Liang Yanjing stepped forward and served tea to the Duke of Wei: "Grandfather... I am willing to relieve my father's worries. Why don't I go in my father's place?"

A teenager could not possibly replace the King of Qin, but his courage was a hundred times greater than his father's, which made the Duke of Wei feel gratified.

“I won’t let anything happen to you,” the Duke of Wei said to the King of Qin. “If you make a mistake, what use will all these troops be to me? I will have people follow you. I’m confident I can take down anyone you’re supposed to meet.”

Seeing that the King of Qin remained silent, the Duke of Wei had no choice but to compromise: "You don't need to go to them; I will persuade them to come see you."

The King of Qin finally responded: "It's not that I'm unwilling, it's just... so many people are counting on me. What will they do if something happens to me? Preserving my life is the most important thing right now."

That's the best we can do now.

The King of Qin and his son went down to rest, and the Duke of Wei drew his long sword from his waist and knocked over the charcoal brazier next to him.

Only when there was no more movement inside the tent did the steward outside dare to lift the curtain and come in.

The Duke of Wei had calmed his anger and sat down again to look at the paper in front of him. It listed several names, all of whom were useful to them. He was originally confident that he could persuade them all, but since the King of Qin was unwilling to risk going, half of them would not take action.

That bastard.

The Duke of Wei had an impulse to replace the King of Qin right now and let his grandson inherit the throne, but this would be even more illegitimate. He could only temporarily put the King of Qin on the throne and make further plans later.

The Duke of Wei ordered, "Bring me the map."

If the King of Qin refuses to go and persuade them, they will have to send troops sooner. The weather is freezing cold today, which is not a good time to start a war. The imperial guards around Bianjing are well-rested and ready to fight. If they delay any longer, they will lose a lot of fighting power for nothing.

What's most hateful is that because the Xie family promoted those ridiculous coal stoves, all the coal dug up nearby was sold off by merchants, leaving the army without enough coal for fuel.

"Could it be intentional?"

This was the second time the Duke of Wei had such an idea.

If it weren't for the abundance of coal, at least charcoal could be found. But nowadays, there are very few merchants trading charcoal. Those who had stockpiled charcoal beforehand, fearing they would lose money, sold it to a caravan from the south as soon as winter began.

Without durable coal and charcoal, how much firewood would be needed to keep so many people warm? He gathered his troops to fight, not to find firewood or charcoal.

Soldiers in the camp have already suffered frostbite. If this continues, morale will be weakened before the battle even begins.

But the Duke of Wei felt that Xie couldn't have planned this so early, promoting coal solely for these purposes. Unless she knew in advance that the Emperor would fall seriously ill in winter, and that the King of Qin, resentful, would rebel. Knowing only this wasn't enough; she also needed to deduce that they would gather troops here.

The reason they chose this place was to receive reinforcements arriving in Dengzhou by sea. Even if the Xie family knew about their master's affairs, they could not have such precise control over the situation at sea.

He didn't have time to think about these things carefully, because too much suspicion would only make him hesitant. In the following days, the Duke of Wei was busy, not only dealing with military affairs, but also taking care of the officials who came to serve the King of Qin one after another.

Those civil officials were incompetent at fighting, yet they kept pointing fingers behind people's backs. The King of Qin listened to their advice and would hold discussions with the Duke of Wei every day to discuss strategies.

But in the eyes of the Duke of Wei, these civil officials were just causing him trouble.

They thought that once the King of Qin arrived, he could help him take on some responsibilities, but unexpectedly, the situation became even more chaotic.

"My lord."

The general entered the military tent holding the battle report: "News has come from the Northwest that Marquis Changyuan has captured the He family army."

Finally, good news arrived, and the Duke of Wei was overjoyed: "Immediately send someone to ask Marquis Changyuan when he can head south?"

Even if Marquis Changyuan cannot join him, he can still serve as reinforcements. There are quite a few Xiang Army troops in the Northwest, and these people are enough to secure victory.

After the general left, the Duke of Wei read the letter several times to make sure there were no problems. With the Northwest under control, they had won most of the battle. He immediately wrote a letter and handed it to someone close to him, saying, "Go and deliver this message: the people at sea can land now."

……

Xie Yuyan stood on the reef and gazed into the distance.

Mother Yu said in a low voice, "It's windy, Madam, you should go back early."

Xie Yuyan nodded: "They're about to land."

After drifting at sea for a long time, they finally received news that the manpower of their employer had begun to land near Dengzhou.

The two brothers, Guo Xiong and Guo Chuan, were extremely excited, especially Guo Xiong, who had retired from the army long ago and never expected to be able to go to the battlefield again.

They must win this battle.

"When should we make our move?" Guo Xiong asked.

“No rush,” Xie Yuyan said. “After their people come ashore, someone will definitely stay on the shore to relay messages. Let Xiao Chuan find out the details first and then take them down.”

By capturing those messengers, the owner's men were completely cut off from the ships.

Guo Chuan asked with some concern, "Won't those ships just drop people off and leave?"

“They won’t go far,” Xie Yuyan said. “As soon as news comes from the shore, they will have to come to pick them up.”

As long as the ships don't go far, they can be forced into pre-scouted waters where hidden reefs can damage them.

Guo Xiong rubbed his hands together: "Now it's our turn."

Their goal was to keep the group on land, damage their warships, and then try to lure out their master.

Guo Chuan said, "Will the boss come? What if he turns out to be a coward..."

“He will come,” Xie Yuyan said firmly. “We have someone to help pass on the message, he will definitely come.”

The current situation may give people the illusion that the Duke of Wei is the mastermind behind everything, but Xie Yuyan knows that's not the case. The mastermind... if he wants to stay hidden in the background, he will not expose himself to the public.

His identity may have been hidden for a long time, so that no one would ever suspect him.

(End of this chapter)