When Zhao Yanxun led the feudal princes to the ancestral temple to worship, Yang Hongwen, who had returned south from Rongcheng in a hurry, also arrived outside the military camp.
Although it was stationed hastily, the army has been stationed here for several days, and the corresponding camps have been set up to form a complete defense system.
"Who?"
"I...Yang Hongwen!"
After careful inspection, the gatekeeper Baihu confirmed that the extremely embarrassed man in front of him was the commander-in-chief of his Lingbei Dusi.
Baihu quickly ordered his subordinates to open the door, and a colleague complained: "Sir, you are back, and now the camp is in chaos!"
"All those things? How could it turn into a mess!" Yang Hongwen said coldly.
How did the chaos turn into a pot of porridge? Of course it was the internal fighting among the officials above, but this kind of thing is not something that a small hundred households can discuss.
So the hundred households changed the subject and said, "Sir, this morning, King Ning sent someone to discuss matters with the Chinese army!"
Seeing that these hundreds of households couldn't say anything, Yang Hongwen stopped asking any more questions. Anyway, he already had his own idea.
When he entered the military camp, in the Chinese army's tent, several commanders and minister Liu Cheng were discussing matters with the people sent by King Ning.
At this moment, the discussion reached a deadlock, and there was silence in the military tent.
"Let me tell you, this is what the prince wants. Do you want to disobey it?"
Seeing that everyone was silent, Hu Chengwen, as the chief historian of the palace, began to use Prince Ning to suppress everyone in the tent.
Seeing that the other commanders were silent, Liu Cheng could only reply: "Master Hu, it's not that we have to disobey the prince, it's just that military orders cannot be violated!"
"That's right. Your Majesty the Commander-in-Chief ordered us to station troops here. How could we dare to move without your Majesty's order?"
"The military order is like a mountain. Mr. Hu needs to explain the situation to the prince and be considerate of us people!"
Several senior officials of the Lingbei Army became united for a while, and they really looked like good generals who abide by the law.
But in fact this was not the case at all. The reason why they refused to cross the river was just because there was no benefit.
Not only is there no benefit, if they cross the river first, they will have to fight in front of Yong's army, and the danger will be greatly enhanced.
In their view, even if they have to cross a river, everyone must cross it together to make a bowl of water even.
Hu Chengwen was not stupid. He knew what the Lingbei Army was thinking, so he went on to say: "The prince said, I just want you to cross the river first, occupy the city and establish a foothold, and then fight together when reinforcements arrive!"
"The prince also said that whoever crosses the river first this time will be credited, which will bring benefits in the future!"
But how can these empty words impress people like Lingbei Dusi?
Seeing that everyone still didn't say a word, Hu Chengwen could only continue: "Everyone, if you don't obey the king's order, I'm afraid my elders in the south will doubt your loyalty to the king!"
I have to say, this sentence is extremely lethal.
All their armies relied on the southern gentry to provide supplies and food. These people were closely connected, and they, all high-ranking officials, did not dare to offend easily.
If they were cut off from food and grass, they would be torn apart by the soldiers under their command before they could return with their cronies to grab food.
Seeing that everyone was showing signs of relenting, Hu Chengwen continued: "You are afraid of violating military laws, but Yang Hongwen has already been killed, so how can you violate his military laws?"
I say this not to emphasize that Yang Hongwen is dead, but to reassure everyone present.
Yang Hongwen has not returned for half a month. In this time of war and chaos, it is normal to say that he is dead.
"Well, since Mr. Hu has said everything..."
Du Qianshi Liu Cheng opened his mouth, but before he could finish his sentence, he was interrupted by a voice coming from outside the military tent.
"Who said I'm dead?"
This voice was familiar to everyone present except Hu Chengwen.
The next moment, Yang Hongwen walked into the military tent, surprising everyone.
"Sir, you are finally back!"
Liu Cheng is the happiest. When Yang Hongwen comes back, he can relieve himself of his burden and does not have to do those thankless things.
At this time, Yang Hongwen put on new clothes, but there were still stains on his face and his hair was messy, which looked a bit inconsistent.
"Who said I was dead just now?" Yang Hongwen said coldly.
Although he was asking who said it, Yang Hongwen's eyes glanced directly at Hu Chengwen.
The latter had no choice but to stand up and said with an embarrassed look on his face: "Master Yang, I made a mistake, please forgive me!"
"Who are you?" Yang Hongwen asked again.
Liu Cheng quickly explained: "Sir, he is Prince Ning..."
Before Liu Cheng could finish his words, Yang Hongwen said in a cold tone: "Let him speak for himself!"
Seeing Yang Hongwen's anger, Hu Chengwen was frightened for a moment, fearing that these Qiu Ba would be stupid.
"Mr. Yang, I am the chief historian of Prince Ning's palace. I am here on the king's orders to order your Lingbei army to cross the river!"
Looking back, Yang Hongwen asked in a stern tone: "Prince Ning's order? Why does he order me?"
This attitude shocked not only Hu Chengwen, but also several other people in the tent.
Prince Ning was promoted by the southern gentry. If Yang Hongwen refused to obey Prince Ning, he would go against the southern gentry.
"Sir... you must be careful what you say!" A commander spoke to console him. He was worried that Yang Hongwen's impulsiveness would implicate them.
"What should you say carefully? What should you say carefully?"
"His grandma is a vassal king who is far away from the imperial line. He doesn't stick to his own secrets, and now he dares to be an enemy of the imperial court... Isn't this fucking earth-shattering?"
"Rebels like Zhao Yongshen are a scourge to the world, and everyone should punish them!"
"I didn't go to suppress this traitor, so he should be enjoying himself secretly, and he still wants to order me..."
After hearing what Yang Hongwen said, everyone present was immediately petrified. They all thought Yang Hongwen was crazy.
The next moment, Yang Hongwen drew out his saber, and under Hu Chengwen's horrified gaze, he slashed at him with the saber.
The stabbing was so sudden that Hu Chengwen had no time to react, so he was stabbed to the core.
The screams rang out in the military tent attracted the soldiers on duty outside, and then they saw the murderer Yang Hongwen.
Others were confused at this moment, but Yang Hongwen knew what he was doing.
"go out!"
After being scolded by him, the few soldiers who came in immediately retreated, leaving only a few senior officers in the military tent.
Hu Chengwen was screaming, and his life was gradually passing away.
Finally, a commander loudly asked: "Young man, are you crazy?"
Yang Hongwen's killing of Prince Ning's chief minister was tantamount to breaking with the Southern Group. In the minds of the commanders, it was tantamount to seeking death.
Yang Hongwen wanted to die, but this matter might implicate them, so naturally they couldn't hold back what they were saying.
Others are also "watching with eager eyes". Obviously, if Yang Hongwen says something wrong, these people will take action against him first.
"I'm not crazy!"
"Three days ago...Rongcheng was destroyed!"
"In less than half an hour, Yong's army invaded Rongcheng, and the 30,000 defenders collapsed at the first touch!"
Speaking of this, Yang Hongwen said with a horrified face, recalling the explosion that day.
"The Yong army is so powerful that no one in the world can stop it. If you and I go against King Yong, we are seeking death!"
"For half an hour, Master Yang, could you be joking?" Liu Cheng couldn't believe it.
Yang Hongwen sneered: "The Yong army attacking the city only has 10,000 people!"
"Yong's army is invincible. If you don't want to die or harm your family, you should wake up now!"
"What about being granted the title of Duke or Marquis? That's just Zhao Yongshen's empty words. Yong's army's swords are stretched out to our necks!"
"Think about it, you can defeat the imperial court's hundreds of thousands of troops in two months. Such an army...isn't that what the rest of us can defeat?"