kvmb Chapter 525 Resistance and Disobedience
Chapter 525 Resistance and Disobedience
"Stop!" Zhao Yi said sternly. "Anyone who disobeys will be executed on the spot."
As soon as he finished speaking, Jiang Chao and Jiang Mu gripped the hilts of their swords at their waists, ready to be beheaded if the soldiers made any further moves.
Seeing such a display of force, the soldiers operating the ballistae dared not make any rash moves.
They all looked toward the defender.
The garrison commander was a fifth-rank official responsible for guarding the pass. When he saw Zhao Yi and Shen Qingtan appear out of nowhere, a surge of anger rose from the bottom of his heart. He was about to reprimand the soldiers guarding the entrance when he saw that they had already been captured by the men brought by Zhao Yi.
He was extremely dissatisfied with Commander Wang Qiaoxin. No one understood the importance of this mission better than Wang Qiaoxin. He never expected that Wang Qiaoxin, with so many soldiers, would fail to stop Zhao Yi and Shen Qingtan.
“Your Highness, Yuncheng is your fiefdom, but you have no right to interfere in its political and military affairs.” The garrison commander’s face was extremely grim, but he was not afraid of Zhao Yi’s status: “This humble general is acting on the Emperor’s orders. Are you trying to disobey the imperial decree?”
Last night, he received a secret letter from Wang Qiaoxin, instructing him to secretly arrange for soldiers to set up ballistae on the enemy tower when the Prince of Guangling and his wife went out of the city to meet the Prince of Zhenbei's family. The plan was to aim at the Prince of Zhenbei and fire when the Prince of Guangling and his wife returned to the city.
To ensure everything went perfectly, they even coated the arrowheads with wolfsbane flowers.
If they could kill the Prince of Zhenbei with a single blow, they would have performed a great service.
Even if the Great Zhou wanted to seek justice for the Prince of Zhenbei and send troops against the Northern Qi, they would not be afraid.
After all, with the loss of a great killing god, and the strength of the Northern Qi being roughly equal to that of the Great Zhou, it remains to be seen who will emerge victorious.
If the attack doesn't result in a fatal blow, such a large commotion will inevitably draw reinforcements from Yingcheng. If their numbers are insufficient, they will retreat. If Yingcheng remains silent, it means that the Prince of Zhenbei did not bring many troops with him to Yingcheng this time.
They then used catapults to launch gunpowder packages, killing the Prince of Zhenbei and his elite troops. When the enemy suffered heavy casualties and their morale collapsed, they then sent troops to attack the Prince of Zhenbei and take his head.
But to everyone's surprise, Zhao Yi stopped them at the crucial moment.
Instead of answering, Zhao Yi asked, "What is the range of the ballista?"
The garrison commander frowned: "Three li away."
Zhao Yi asked again, "Do you know how far the camp is from here?"
"Our soldiers set up the camp, which is exactly three miles from here." The garrison commander, his patience wearing thin and worried that Zhao Yi was stalling for time, immediately ordered, "Shoot arrows."
With a "whoosh," Jiang Chao and Jiang Mu drew their swords, placing the blades against the necks of the soldier who pulled the trigger and the guard, respectively.
The soldiers also drew their swords with a "whoosh" and pointed them at Jiang Chao and Jiang Mu.
The situation is tense and could erupt at any moment.
The guard felt the pain of his neck being slashed, and his heart pounded like a drum.
At this moment, he knew clearly that Zhao Yi had murderous intent towards him.
He had just been relying on the secret edict from the Northern Qi emperor to disregard Zhao Yi. At the same time, he was also gambling that Zhao Yi would not dare to disobey the imperial order.
To everyone's surprise, Zhao Yi actually dared to get serious.
They outnumbered and outgunned, and could easily turn the tide.
The garrison commander, however, had reservations.
Putting aside the fact that the Northern Qi emperor still had uses for Zhao Yi, especially since he emphasized in a secret edict that Zhao Yi should not be harmed in the slightest unless he harbored treasonous intentions, the fact that Zhao Yi was the Northern Qi emperor's only useful son meant that if he became the new emperor of Northern Qi, he would definitely make an example of him first.
"Your camp is within range, but do you know that the Prince of Zhenbei has moved his camp a mile towards Yingcheng? Not to mention, the camp is guarded by elite troops. Even if you order your men to fire crow arrows, dozens at a time, elite soldiers will shield the Prince of Zhenbei. If you cannot kill him in one shot, you will miss a golden opportunity." Zhao Yi stepped towards the guard, his expression icy. "Do you know how many soldiers are stationed in Yingcheng? They have 50,000 elite troops. How many soldiers are there in Yuncheng? Can they withstand the Prince of Zhenbei's wrath?"
The garrison commander gasped in shock. The Great Zhou had actually amassed 50,000 elite troops in Yingcheng?
They only had 10,000 elite soldiers.
The disparity in strength is too great.
Can……
"Are you saying that Yuncheng's military strength is no match for Great Zhou, but with me and the Queen Consort here, we can keep the Prince of Zhenbei in check?" Zhao Yi sneered, "If the country is not safe, what is there to do with a family? Compared to Great Zhou, who is more important, me and the Queen Consort?"
The garrison commander wasn't stupid; after a quick calculation, he understood Zhao Yi's meaning.
Given that the two countries are keeping to themselves, the Great Zhou, out of consideration for Zhao Yi, will not rashly send troops against the Northern Qi.
If Northern Qi were to provoke a war first, Great Zhou would not stand idly by and would not hold back out of consideration for Zhao Yi and Shen Qingtan.
Leaving aside others, let's just talk about himself.
If war breaks out between the two countries, even if the enemy takes his family hostage, he will only try to rescue them and will not make concessions to save their lives.
Under the nest, have the eggs finished?
"The Queen and I entered the city, and you attacked the Prince of Zhenbei right afterward. He'll wonder who ordered it. You wanted to catch the Prince of Zhenbei off guard, but they were already prepared. You can only act if you have sufficient supplies and troops. Otherwise, it's like an ant trying to shake a tree, or playing with fire and getting burned." Zhao Yi said without room for argument, "Withdraw your troops. I will bear all the blame."
The garrison commander was inevitably a little uneasy. The Northern Qi emperor had given him and Wang Qiaoxin a secret edict on short notice, intending to sow discord between Zhao Yi and the Great Zhou and cut off his escape route.
But then they withdrew their troops...
Suddenly, the garrison commander saw Wang Qiaoxin and Lin Youwei go up to the enemy tower and couldn't help but ask Wang Qiaoxin for help.
"Your Highness has scouted the enemy's situation and is fully aware of the situation in Great Zhou. Are you trying to fight a losing battle by disobeying orders?" Wang Qiaoxin scolded, "Fool, withdraw your troops now!"
The garrison commander was stunned, and then subconsciously looked at Lin Youwei.
Lin Youwei nodded.
The garrison commander realized that these two men had escorted Zhao Yi to see the Prince of Zhenbei and knew more about the situation in the Great Zhou than he did, so Zhao Yi must be telling the truth.
Anyway, if His Majesty punishes them, Zhao Yi and Wang Qiaoxin will take the blame.
He waved his hand: "Withdraw."
The soldiers withdrew.
Jiang Chao and Jiang Mu sheathed their swords and retreated behind Zhao Yi.
The guard touched his neck; his hand was covered in blood.
His face darkened, and he clasped his hands in greeting to Zhao Yi, Wang Qiaoxin, and Lin Youwei before striding away with his head held high.
Lin Youwei glanced at Zhao Yi, then at Wang Qiaoxin, a thought flashing in his eyes.
Today, while escorting Zhao Yi and Shen Qingtan to their camp outside the pass, he indeed discovered that the camp had been moved and was now four or five miles away from the city wall of Yuncheng. After carefully observing the elite troops brought by the Prince of Zhenbei, he roughly estimated that there were several thousand of them.
As for whether Yingcheng actually had the 50,000 Zhao Yi mentioned, he had no idea. All he knew was that the city walls of Yingcheng were filled with soldiers wearing helmets, densely packed with people.
Even if Zhao Yi was telling the truth, his blatant disobedience of the Northern Qi Emperor's secret decree clearly showed that he was protecting the Prince of Zhenbei.
He planned to write this matter in a memorial to the emperor of Northern Qi after he returned.
It all depends on how the Northern Qi emperor decides.