Aoyama

Chapter 232 Hu Junxian

In the dark night, the streets of Guyuan were eerily quiet.

Everyone rode their horses back and looked silently as the lone yellow-brown horse approached.

Li Xuan, commander of the Yulin Army, dismounted, took a few quick steps, took the reins of the yellow-brown horse, and looked it up and down.

He reached out his hand and stroked the horse's side, then put his fingers closer and felt blood.

Li Xuan turned back to look at the prince: "Your Highness, I'm afraid Wang Guang has met with an accident."

The prince, wearing a white fox fur coat, frowned and said nothing. He raised his head and looked into the distance. The dark grey pass was like a bloody mouth that could swallow people in one gulp.

Qi Zhuozhu drew the long sword from his waist and said in a fierce voice: "Your Highness, the Guyuan border troops are lawless and dared to ambush and kill the imperial guards. How is this different from treason?"

Li Xuan led the yellow-brown horse back to the prince's white horse, looked up and said, "Your Highness, we should not stay here for long, please leave immediately. We will go to Tianshui County to rest tonight, and leave for Taiyuan Prefecture tomorrow to request His Majesty to mobilize the Jiefan Guards and the Wansui Army to suppress the rebellion! At an expedited speed of 600 miles, the memorial can reach the capital in six days, so it will be in time!"

Chen Liqin was shocked: "Suppress the rebellion? There is no evidence yet, General Li, please don't jump to conclusions."

Li Xuan's face turned fierce. "The border troops first poisoned and killed 34 members of the Chen family, and then intercepted and killed Your Highness while he was on a 600-mile journey. If this isn't rebellion, what is it? Lord Chen, do you know what crime it is to intercept and kill someone while he was on a 600-mile journey?"

The prince sat on his horse calmly and looked at Zhang Xia from a distance: "I have heard for a long time that there was a female doctor in the Imperial College who was proficient in books and mathematics and could recite the laws of Daning by heart. May I ask what crime the border troops were punished for?"

Zhang Xia said calmly, "Those who rob or steal within 400 miles will be punished with 100 strokes of the cane, tattooed with a tattoo, and sentenced to 3,000 miles of exile; those who rob or steal within 500 miles will be executed immediately; those who rob or steal within 600 miles will have their entire clan exterminated."

The prince praised: "Miss Zhang Er really has a photographic memory. I admire her."

Zhang Xia said indifferently, "Your Highness, you are too kind."

Li Xuan clasped his fists and said, "Your Highness, now is not the time for idle chat. Don't go back to the Dragon's Den and the Tiger's Lair of the Dusi Mansion. The border troops dared to intercept and kill the urgent 600-mile convoy, which is already a desperate move. If Your Highness continues to stay here, there is no guarantee that they will not do something more cruel. Your Highness is a precious body, please follow me and leave Guyuan!"

The prince shook his head: "Your Majesty ordered me to thoroughly investigate the murder of innocent people and the false credit. Now there is no clue to this case. How can I leave Guyuan so easily? I am the crown prince of a country, and I am destined to be king. How can I be afraid of villains? How will Your Majesty see me?"

Li Xuan said anxiously: "Your Highness, as long as the green mountains remain, there will be no worries about firewood. You just need to report the truth, and His Majesty will understand. If you don't want to leave, we will kneel forever!"

After saying this, he winked at the rest of the Yulin Army.

Amid the clattering of armor, the Yulin soldiers dismounted one after another, clasped their fists and knelt on one knee: "Your Highness, please take care of yourself and follow us to leave Guyuan."

The prince was rarely angry and said, "I came to Guyuan on the order of Your Majesty to thoroughly investigate the murder of innocent people and the false credit. This is not only my father's order, but also the emperor's order. This is loyalty and filial piety. I just promised Brother Wenzong to find out the truth about Guyuan Post Station for him. This is righteousness. You force me to leave now. Aren't you trying to put me in a position of disloyalty, unfilial piety and unrighteousness? Get up!"

The Yulin soldiers all knelt on the ground, their white cloaks draped over the ground, and were unwilling to stand up.

After a long time.

Chen Wenzong bowed and said, "Your Highness's body is precious. I hope you can protect yourself first before making any plans."

The prince looked up at the night sky and sighed, "Forget it, get up, and I'll listen to you."

Li Xuan was overjoyed and quickly jumped on his horse.

He put his hand on the long sword at his waist and tightened the reins: "Yulin Army, follow me to escort His Highness out of the city. If the border troops refuse to let you go, we will rush to the top of the city and force the gate open!"

Amid the roar of iron hooves, the Yulin Army, like stars surrounding the moon, surrounded the prince and rushed towards the south gate.

Zhang Xia glanced at Chen Ji and said, "What should we do? If the border troops stop us, a fight is inevitable."

Chen Ji looked at the backs of the Yulin Army and said, "If you want to leave, tonight is your last chance. The border troops killed people in a hurry and may not be ready to keep the prince. Li Xuan is decisive. If he misses tonight, the prince may really have no chance to leave, but..."

Zhang Xia said in tacit agreement: "But why did the border troops rebel?"

Chen Ji took a deep breath, "Yes, something strange has been going on since the Chen family was poisoned tonight. Even if the border troops and the prince are already at loggerheads, there is no reason for them to kill so many people from the Chen family. If you really have a grudge, you can kill the prince and the Yulin Army, but why kill the Chen family? The Chen family just arrived in Guyuan today. What did the Chen family do to offend anyone?"

Zhang Xia whispered, "It was as if a hand suddenly tightened the string between the crown prince and the border troops, and it broke." "That's right," Chen Ji made a decision and rode his horse to catch up with the Yulin Army. "Don't think about it for now. Let's follow the Yulin Army out of the city first. Guyuan really can't stay."

……

……

Hundreds of Yulin soldiers galloped on their horses, all the armored soldiers crouched low, and passed through the rows of earthen houses in Guyuan. The white cloaks of the Yulin soldiers fluttered behind them, and the white pheasant tails on their helmets swayed in the wind, just like five hundred white horse volunteers.

Li Xuan instructed his attendants, "When we get to the city gate, the Black Tortoise Guards will protect His Highness, and the Azure Dragon Guards will follow me to charge. We raise soldiers for a thousand days but only for a moment. If anyone dares to be cowardly and refuses to advance, don't blame me, Li, for being merciless with my long sword!"

Qi Chenzhuo responded: "Don't worry, General, we will fight to the death!"

Li Xuan turned to the prince and said, "Your Highness, we swear to protect you from the city until our death."

The prince said slowly, "Thank you, General Li. Also, please take care of the relatives of Lord Chen and Lord Zhang."

"As ordered."

As the city gate got closer, Li Xuan's heart gradually sank to the bottom.

He looked across the long street and saw hundreds of torches burning on the city walls, as bright as day. In front of the city gate, soldiers were busy moving back and forth, carrying weapons, pushing crossbow carts, and carrying sandbags.

The South Gate, which should not have been heavily guarded, was filled with thousands of border soldiers tonight, as if a great battle was about to take place.

The Yulin Army was a little overwhelmed and had long forgotten their previous heroic words.

At this point in the city, they absolutely cannot break out by themselves.

"Whoa!" Li Xuan pulled the reins and slowly stopped in front of the city gate.

The warhorse under him paced back and forth restlessly, and the flickering firelight on the city walls made his face red.

Li Xuan looked up at the city wall.

The next moment, a tall figure appeared between the parapets, looking down at them like a mountain.

The border soldiers held torches behind him. Under the flickering light and shadow, there was a violent flame behind the tall figure, but the figure itself was in darkness, and his face and expression could not be seen clearly.

The figure on the city wall asked loudly, "Why did the prince come here in the middle of the night?"

Li Xuan was shocked: Hu Junxian!
He gritted his teeth and shouted across the air: "General Hu, the prince has found some clues and will go to Tianshui County immediately. Open the door quickly!"

Hu Junxian said calmly: "It can't be opened."

Li Xuan angrily asked, "Hu Junxian, are you crazy? You actually want to put the prince under house arrest?"

Hu Junxian's voice was calm and resonant like a bell: "General Li, calm down. Our Guyuan border scouts encountered more than ten Jing Dynasty officials in Ziwuling behind us. They might be the elite of the Jing Dynasty's Tiance Army Shenwu Camp. Our scouts took advantage of their familiarity with the terrain and managed to escape with their lives. The enemy came over the mountain and must have some plan. If the prince leaves the city now, he may be ambushed by the Jing Dynasty. I cannot open the door."

Li Xuan was furious: "The Jing Dynasty army wants to penetrate the heartland of the Ning Dynasty. They have to cross 300 miles of mountain roads, and there are countless cliffs along the way. Even if you want to make up a lie, you have to make it decent! And your border scouts actually managed to escape from more than ten officers. Are you kidding me?"

Hu Junxian was silent for a moment, then slowly said, "We, the Guyuan Border Army, would never make up lies about such things. Whether you believe it or not, please go back."

After saying this, he turned and left, disappearing behind the parapet.

Li Xuan angrily yelled, "Hu Junxian, you are committing treason!"

Hu Junxian walked further and further away, and his voice floated down from the city wall: "Then wait until this battle is over, and then your Majesty will punish me. But at the moment, I have military duties to attend to, so I will not accompany you for now."

(End of this chapter)