Chongxuan Chu Liang refused to surrender three times, so Yang Jiande had no choice but to send troops and order the whole country to save the king.
In terms of public opinion, the Yang Country sending troops to suppress the army that trapped the country was reasonable and righteous.
But at the same time, in order to maintain order in the Eastern Region, the State of Qi sent troops to seal off the plague so that it could not continue to spread. This also made sense.
Especially since the Yang Country belonged to Qi, in terms of etiquette, the Yang Country could be considered Qi territory.
Furthermore, Chongxuan Chu Liang did indeed only target the plague on the surface and did not invade a single inch of the Yang Country. If they were attacked by the Yang Army, it was reasonable for them to counterattack.
This meant that in terms of public opinion, which was the only advantage that the Yang Country had, Chongxuan Chu Liang's stability meant that Qi and Yang were on the same starting point.
Yang Jiande had already lost in the first round of the head-on battle between the two former comrades.
The moment he decided to send troops, he had lost the chance to gain sympathy from the public opinion.
However, this was a choice that he had no choice. He was still limited by the current situation, but it did not mean that Yang Jiande was weaker than Chongxuan Chu Liang.
It was just that the trump cards in their hands were too far apart.
Although public opinion had its meaning, most of the time, it could not decide the direction of the war.
If Yang Jiande could defeat Chongxuan Chu Liang, there would be a chance for diplomacy.
If not, then everything would be over.
…
After many years of peace, war suddenly broke out.
The entire Yang Country's army gathered in the imperial capital. Yang Jiande had to worship his ancestors at the Imperial Ancestral Temple before personally leading the troops to fight against Chung Geng Sheng at the border.
The three prefectures of the Yang Country were Hengyang, Rizhao, and Red Tail.
Hengyang Prefecture was where the imperial capital was located. Needless to say, almost all of the soldiers were mobilized, gathering 150 thousand troops in a day. 50 thousand of them were the army that protected the capital, while the other 100 thousand were the soldiers from the various cities.
However, in Red Tail Prefecture, the various cities did not react so positively. They gathered 50 thousand soldiers and rushed to the imperial capital. What was worth mentioning was that 20 thousand of them were volunteer soldiers who brought their own equipment and food. At least ten thousand volunteers came from Cang Feng City.
When it came to Rizhao Prefecture, the enthusiasm was even lower.
The first reason was, of course, the mutated plague that was wreaking havoc in the Yang Kingdom.
With hundreds of thousands of soldiers gathered together, the Evil Energy was more than enough to disperse the Evil Energy like the plague. The soldiers themselves would not be infected by the plague, but the people of the Yang Kingdom still did not have a proper strategy to protect them.
Every soldier was a person of flesh and blood. They all had their own family and friends. Of course, it could be said to be great to have the country first and the home second, but it was human nature to have the home first and the country second.
Some donated their entire family to the country, while others closed their doors to avoid disaster. Everyone was different.
However, the real reason was that the Yang Court's governance had been chaotic for so many years, and they had no interest in the people's livelihood. Yang Jiande devoted himself wholeheartedly to cultivation and ignored state affairs. On the other hand, the dead Crown Prince Yang Xuanji only cared about seizing power and suppressing his brothers. He was also very perfunctory when it came to state affairs.
In the plague that White Bone Path had brewed this time, Yang Court's administrative inefficiency and incompetence were fully exposed. It could be said that they had long lost the hearts of the people.
Of course, in Rizhao Prefecture, it was more due to Governor Song Guang's personal reasons. Long before Yang Jiande issued the order to save the emperor, he had already made a move to gather troops and food.
Although the new Lord of Jia City, Shi Jing, had died, Song Guang had gathered eighty thousand soldiers from the remaining six cities in the prefecture. Under his relentless plundering, the amount of money and food was uncountable.
However, he only sent ten thousand old, weak, sick, and disabled people to Zhaoheng City. Due to the special terrain of Chen Rizhao Prefecture, Qi wanted to preserve his strength to protect the emperor. In reality, he was gathering troops for himself and waiting for the right price.
His report made Yang Jiande so angry that he laughed.
On the dragon throne, the twenty-seventh emperor of the Yang Kingdom held the report and said disappointedly, "Who would have thought that after a few hundred years of establishing the Yang Kingdom, after gathering all the officials, in just a few generations, we have lost all hope."
Liu Huai consoled him, "At least in Hengyang Prefecture, where the capital is located, the Imperial Court still has the hearts of the people. Gathering a hundred thousand soldiers, they have already turned out in full force! "
Yang Jiande shook his head, "Under my breath, facing the sword, they don't dare to not come. How many of them are truly sincere in donating to the country? "
"There are many righteous people who destroyed their homes to repay your kindness!"
"What kindness can I have for them? It's just that they love their home. "Yang Jiande tossed the report in his hand aside," No need to console me, I am not so weak as to not be able to face reality. I just want to … "
He sighed, "The hearts of the people are so weak. Furthermore, Qi is so strong and has always been majestic. Although this battle is in our country, we can't hold it for long and need to end it quickly. If there is even the slightest bit of loss in the battle, the mountains will collapse in an instant. "
He was someone who knew the troops well and had considered all the war matters in his heart.
Liu Huai bowed, "Your majesty, you have the heart."
"Oh right." Yang Jiande suddenly thought of something and asked, "This time, apart from the city protection army, Cang Feng City also sent ten thousand troops?"
"Yes …"
Yang Jiande nodded, "Cang Feng City has always been a place with plenty of food and people."
As he said this, he hesitated, "Why … do I seem to have a different impression of Cang Feng City?"
Liu Huai knew that cultivating the Emotionless Blood Demon Technique had caused Yang Jiande to slowly lose his human emotions. Today, he was so angry at Song Guang that he laughed and sighed for the country. This was already a rare display of emotions.
He thought about it and reminded him, "The little prince's World Tower is built there."
"World Tower?"
"It's that assassin organization."
"Oh, it's the matter where I scolded him … is it still there?"
"The palace treasury didn't allocate any money. It's all the little prince's own money. "
"Then this time, the Cang Feng City army … I think he's also hidden in the army?"
"It should be … it should be."
The hall was silent for a while.
"Liu Huai."
"I am here."
"Go find Xuance and bring him away."
"I will arrange it now."
"It's not an arrangement." Yang Jiande looked up at him, "You have to go personally."
"Your Majesty!" Liu Huai suddenly knelt in front of Yang Jiande, "Your Majesty, please choose someone else. I really don't want to leave at this time!"
Yang Jiande said faintly, "The building is about to collapse. In this gloomy palace, who can I trust?"
He reached out and patted Liu Huai's shoulder, "Dog slave, I'm going to die. You have to let me have no worries. Do you understand? "
Liu Huai said with tears, "I … accept your order!"
"Oh …" Yang Jiande seemed to be talking to himself, "I should leave something for him."
At this moment, emotions seemed to resist the erosion of the Emotionless Blood Demon Technique. There was a trace of imperceptible softness in his eyes.
Liu Huai knelt on the ground and just cried.
Yang Jiande reached out and opened the imperial box. He patted and stroked the imperial jade seal in the box.
In the end, he put it down.
He took off the coiling dragon jade pendant from his waist and put it in Liu Huai's hand.
Compared to the imperial jade seal, this jade pendant was exquisite, but it didn't have any power or sacred meaning. It was really much more ordinary.
But Liu Huai could understand why Yang Jiande only left this jade pendant for Yang Xuance.
It was because the imperial jade seal would attract endless pursuit for Yang Xuance. No one would care about this jade pendant.
This jade pendant didn't have any other meaning. It was just a remembrance left by a father for his son.
"Does Your Majesty have any words for the young prince?" Liu Huai asked with tears in his eyes.
Yang Jiande leaned back on the dragon throne as if he was very tired. He waved his hand, indicating that there was no need to say anything.
Liu Huai took the coiling dragon jade pendant and hurried out of the hall, leaving the palace without anything else.
Yang Jiande sat alone in the hall and was silent for a very long time. Then, as if he suddenly thought of something, he said, "Say 'sorry' to Xuance."
After saying this, he realized that Liu Huai had already left.
"Forget it."
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