Under the candlelight, the two shadows gradually overlapped.
At some point, Shen Yu had changed his position. The booklet on the table was swept to the ground by his sleeve. At this moment, no one cared.
Shen Yu sat in Shang Junlin's embrace and raised his head slightly.
His fair and slender fingers were placed on his black clothes, clenching tightly together with the man's movements.
Like a lotus leaf swaying in the wind and rain.
The night was getting darker.
Hanzhou City also received the news that the imperial court had issued an arrest warrant.
In order to avoid being discovered, King Yue and his entourage had been holed up in the manor. The news they received was brought to them by the Cheng Family's Patriarch.
"The imperial court has issued an arrest warrant. I'm afraid there's no safe place in Great Huan. Can Your Highness still return to your fief?" The Cheng Family's Patriarch's calm appearance was filled with anxiety.
He knew that King Yue had escaped from prison, and he also knew that this day would come sooner or later. He just didn't expect it to come so soon. Although the Cheng family had no other choice now, the Cheng family head couldn't accept the fact that they were following a traitor in the eyes of outsiders.
"There are soldiers in my fief. I've already sent a message to them to gather with us. I can't return to my fief for the time being. Since the emperor has issued an order to pin the crime of rebellion on me, it's impossible for him to let me return to my fief."
King Yue was now in a dilemma. Most of his forces were in his fief, and there was no one by his side that he could use. He had already been convicted of treason, and it was impossible for him to return to the Imperial City. If he did, he would only be walking into a trap and dying.
Since Shang Junlin was so heartless, then don't blame him for being unjust!
The crime of rebellion fell on his head. So what if he confirmed it?
It was Shang Junlin who forced him to do it, wasn't it? He just wanted to protect himself!
"How many men do you have here?" King Yue turned his head and asked the middle-aged man standing beside him.
"What does Your Highness want to do?" The middle-aged man's eyes flashed.
"Isn't what I want to do what you've always wanted me to do? Why is Mr. Tan pretending? "King Yue said unhappily.
"It's good that Your Highness can think it through. I and the forces behind me will serve Your Highness." Mr. Tan smiled and stroked his beard.
"My Cheng Family is also willing to serve Your Highness!" The Cheng Family Head also expressed his loyalty.
Since they've decided to revolt, Emperor Yue's side swiftly took action. The Cheng Family's influence in Hanzhou City wasn't small, and many officials in Hanzhou City had connections with them. Hence, they suddenly revolted and took control of half of the forces in Hanzhou City.
The officials sent by the Imperial Court were locked up by them, and the King of Yue's group was officially stationed in Hanzhou City as their stronghold.
When the people that received them in Hanzhou City received the news, they entered Hanzhou City. It was a group of several thousand people, and the highest ranking general in Hanzhou City was the son-in-law of the Cheng Family. He had always followed the Cheng Family, and now that the Cheng Family had sided with the King of Yue, he had also rebelled.
His subordinates who opposed him were all killed in public. Under such bloody methods, no one dared to take the risk.
Hanzhou City had completely changed.
The King of Yue sent a message to his men. These men were arranged by him in the early years, and not all of them were in the fief. When they received the news, they immediately rushed over to Hanzhou City.
At the same time, Mr. Tan's men also entered Hanzhou City. In the blink of an eye, tens of thousands of troops had gathered in Hanzhou City.
This winter was destined to not be peaceful.
The news from Hanzhou City to the capital was blocked, and Shang Junlin received the news through the Hidden Dragon Guards.
"The King of Yue has rebelled." Shang Junlin closed his fingers, and the piece of paper crumbled to the ground.
"What?" Shen Yu stood up in shock. "The King of Yue has rebelled?"
After the shock, Shen Yu didn't find it strange. The King of Yue had always had thoughts of rebelling, and he was just carrying out his plan.
"When they arrived in Hanzhou City, they knew about the Imperial Court's arrest warrant and colluded with the Cheng Family to take control of Hanzhou City. The officials sent by the Imperial Court were nowhere to be found, and the Hidden Dragon Guards only managed to send out the news after losing half of their men." Shang Junlin's tone was cold.
"What's the situation in Hanzhou City?" Shen Yu knitted his brows in worry.
"The garrison of Hanzhou City has rebelled. Adding in the troops that came from nowhere, Hanzhou City now has an army of eighty thousand. The Hidden Dragon Guards said that there's still an endless stream of troops entering Hanzhou City."
The King of Yue had attacked them at the wrong time, and if it weren't for the news from the Hidden Dragon Guards, they would have known about it even later.
Thus, Shang Junlin immediately gathered the ministers for a meeting.
When the ministers heard the news from Hanzhou City, they all sucked in a cold breath. No one had expected that the King of Yue would have the guts to rebel.
"Where did the King of Yue get so many troops from?" One of the ministers was baffled.
The King of Yue had the authority to raise an army, but the scale was small. With the King of Yue's rank, he could only raise two thousand soldiers. But the current situation was that the King of Yue had more than eighty thousand soldiers, and the number was still increasing.
Where did these soldiers come from?
Many of the ministers had the same question in their hearts.
"Since he already had the intention of rebelling, it's not surprising for him to raise an army. Right now, we have to deal with the matter of the King of Yue." The Prime Minister brought the topic back.
"The Prime Minister is right. The King of Yue has been convicted, but the Northern Province is still at war with the Northern Desert. Who should we send to quell the rebellion?"
Because of the previous Emperor, the Great Huan Dynasty didn't have many capable generals. They couldn't possibly send the Emperor himself, right?
After all, it wasn't that serious.
"I have someone in mind to quell the rebellion. Apart from Hanzhou City, we still have to worry about whether there will be problems in Yuezhou." Shang Junlin said calmly.
Yuezhou was the King of Yue's fief. Shang Junlin had originally sent people to temporarily take over Yuezhou. Now that the King of Yue was rebelling, Yuezhou wouldn't be peaceful.
"Yuezhou is rich, and it's also the fief that the previous Emperor left for the King of Yue. The King of Yue won't give it up so easily. The Imperial Court must prepare early."
"First, let the soldiers in the surrounding areas guard them. If they find any troublemakers, take care of them on the spot. The Imperial Court must also send people over as soon as possible."
Yuezhou.
The King of Yue's crime of rebellion was announced, and Yuezhou fell into chaos. The King of Yue had been operating in Yuezhou for many years and had deep connections with the local powers. If the King of Yue's crime was true, they wouldn't be able to escape from the consequences.
"What should we do now?" All the major powers of Yuezhou gathered together to discuss the big issue.
"His Highness didn't come back for so long because he was trapped in the Capital City. Now that the Capital City is forcing him to rebel, we are indebted to him. Of course, we can't abandon him at a time like this."
"You're right. His Highness has been doing his job all these years. Under his rule, Yuezhou has been thriving. Without the King of Yue, we wouldn't be where we are today. No matter what, we have to stand behind the King of Yue!"
The ministers' worries were not without reason. For themselves and for their own interests, the powers in the fief of the King of Yue wouldn't easily cut ties with him.
Fortunately, the Imperial Court reacted in time and the small scale rebellion was suppressed.
Shang Junlin appointed a general to lead the army to fight against the King of Yue.
The weather was getting colder. Shen Yu stood under the porch with a thick cloak wrapped around him. The fluffy collar made his face look even smaller.
"The war with the Northern Desert people is ending soon, right?"
Shen Yu reached out his hand and a snowflake fell on his hand. It melted quickly.
Shang Junlin hugged him from behind. "Soon. The colder the weather is, the harder it will be for the Northern Desert people to hold on."
The war with the Northern Desert people had been in a stalemate for more than a month. It was time to end it.
"In the blink of an eye, I have known Your Majesty for almost a year." Shen Yu retracted his gaze and lowered his eyes to hide the emotions in his eyes.
Shang Junlin: "It's only been a year. A Yu will spend every year with me in the future."
Shen Yu: "How's the situation in Hanzhou?"
Because of the incident in Hanzhou, the Xu Family, who should have been punished, were still in prison, waiting for the final judgment.
Shang Junlin: "The city gate is closed. The King of Yue has been holed up in the city and refused to fight."
Shen Yu: "With so many people in Hanzhou, how long can the food last? The King of Yue can't possibly hide in there forever. "
Shang Junlin: "This is a problem he has to consider. I just want to find the person behind him as soon as possible."
The backup plan left by the previous Emperor was always a thorn in Shang Junlin's heart.
Hanzhou City.
The King of Yue never expected that Shang Junlin would act so quickly. It was so fast that he was trapped in Hanzhou City before he had time to prepare.
As the saying goes, before the troops and horses move, the provisions move first. The King of Yue was forced to do something beyond his ability. Right now, he only had troops and nothing else.
Fortunately, the Cheng Family was willing to pay, and Hanzhou City was under their control. Thus, he didn't have to worry about the provisions for the time being. However, this wasn't a long-term plan. With Hanzhou City surrounded, the people outside couldn't enter, and the people inside couldn't leave. His main force was in his fief, and the situation was unclear.
"Your Highness."
"Oh, it's Mr. Tan." Shang Junyue stood with his hands behind his back. At this moment, these people were more respectful to him. "How's the situation outside?"
"It's still the same." Mr. Tan shook his head.
"Back then, this King said that he wanted to leave before the Imperial Court reacted, but Mr. Tan refused to admit it. Could it be that you also expected us to be trapped in Hanzhou City?" The King of Yue couldn't hold back the anger in his heart.
After discovering the traces of the Hidden Dragon Guards in Hanzhou City, the King of Yue wanted to leave with his troops. However, he was stopped by Mr. Tan, who told him to wait a little longer until the Imperial Court sent an army over.
If he hadn't been rescued by Mr. Tan and the others, he would have suspected that Shang Junlin's men were playing with him.
"Why are you in such a hurry, Your Highness? The Imperial Court is currently being restrained by the Northern Desert, so how many people can they spare? Our spies have already scouted the area. There are at most fifty thousand troops outside, which is half of our men. If we want to leave, do you think that they can stop us? "
"This King advises you not to look down on Shang Junlin. There are plenty of examples of him winning with fewer troops in the past."
Among Shang Junlin's achievements, the one that was talked about the most was how he won with fewer troops. He was the one who defeated the invaders in the Great Huan Dynasty in exchange for years of peace.
"Your Highness, you don't have to worry about it. If we want to succeed, how can we rely on our men? Didn't Your Highness send a message to your men? When they arrive, the show will officially begin. "
Shang Junyue's eyes flickered. "Mr. Tan is right. This King was too anxious. I'm only worried that the citizens of Hanzhou City will be unhappy if we are trapped for too long."
Until now, Shang Junyue still had no idea how many trump cards these people had. They might seem to be helping him, but their motives weren't that pure.
Shang Junyue was brought out of the prison in a hurry, so he didn't have many people around him. If he wanted to succeed, he could only rely on Mr. Tan and the people behind him. As for the future, it wouldn't be too late to talk about it after everything was done.
"They're just ants. If they're disobedient, we'll just kill them." Mr. Tan wasn't bothered.
You've already exceeded your reading limit for today. If you want to read more, please log in.
Login
Select text and click 'Report' to let us know about any bad translation.
