Villain: After I died, all the heroines cried themselves to sleep.

Chapter 261 Can you keep up with Spide?

Within the city of Xianyang, all was draped in white mourning clothes.

King Chu of Liang reigned for more than six years, but unexpectedly fell seriously ill and died young.

He didn't even have time to leave his last words.

However, due to the crown prince dispute three years ago, King Liang was in his prime and had not yet established a crown prince.

Now that the King of Liang has passed away, the question of who will succeed him has become a problem.

……

"Prime Minister, the Queen is unwilling to accept your protection."

In the Prime Minister's residence, Lai Ao, a servant under the Prime Minister's command, reported to Zhao Wei with a bitter face.

Zhao Wei frowned upon hearing this.

"The Queen actually refused? Now that the Empress Dowager Xuan controls the harem, how can she maintain her position in the palace without my support?"

When the Prince of Liang was still alive, he could still keep Empress Dowager Xuan in check.

Now that the King of Liang has died, without his restraint, the powerful Empress Dowager Xuan has instantly taken control of the inner palace.

According to information circulating in the palace, Queen Zhao Ji is currently under house arrest.

Therefore, Zhao Wei had Lai Ao disguise himself as a eunuch and enter the palace to protect Zhao Ji.

At the same time, he kept Zhao Ji and Xia Ji under his control.

After all, they were Prince Zheng's mothers, and Prince Zheng was always filial.

Zhao Wei's political career had long been intertwined with that of Prince Zheng.

Even though Prince Zheng has been dissolute and incompetent in recent years, and is even ridiculously building the Baoxie Plank Road.

Zhao Wei had no other choice.

He could only try his best to help Prince Zheng succeed to the throne.

At that time, Zhao Ji and Xia Ji would become very important political bargaining chips.

But then Lai Ao continued to protest his innocence.

"That's what I told the Queen, but she replied that the Imperial Physician Teng Mian had already pledged allegiance to her, and the Empress Dowager Xuan would not dare to harm her easily."

"Is the Imperial Physician Teng Mian?"

Zhao Wei had indeed heard of Teng Mian.

This person comes from the Teng family, a military clan in the Liang Kingdom. He previously served as a guard to the King of Liang and was promoted to the position of Langzhongling last year.

Teng Mian was an upright and honest man, so why would he choose to serve Zhao Ji?

"Could it be that they are acting on the orders of the King of Liang?"

"That...we can't know..."

Lai Ao scratched his head.

Seeing Zhao Wei's displeasure, he quickly changed his words.

"However, the Queen asked me to tell the Prime Minister that the King was lucid for a moment before he died and told the palace servants around him that he wanted to pass the throne to Prince Zheng. It was only because the Empress Dowager Xuan and Lady Wei conspired to usurp the throne that this did not get out."

"That's right. Teng Mian must have known about this order, which is why he pledged his loyalty to the Queen... But now that the Queen is under house arrest in the palace, no one can come forward to testify. What use is knowing this?"

Zhao Wei slapped his thigh suddenly, then glared at Lai Ao with dissatisfaction.

Lai Ao shrank back and whispered his defense.

"The Queen is devoted to Prince Zheng and insists on staying in the palace to wait for his return. She only trusts Prince Zheng and refuses to trust anyone else, so there's nothing I can do..."

In fact, Lai Ao also suffered a great blow upon returning this time.

Zhao Wei sent him into the palace.

Also, he had a delicate and handsome appearance, which made him quite popular with women.

To his surprise, Zhao Ji looked down on him and even showed strong disgust.

This made him realize the insurmountable gap between himself and Prince Zheng.

……

The chaos triggered by the death of the Prince of Liang continues.

During this period, the imperial court was in complete chaos over the matter of choosing a successor for the Prince of Liang.

The various factions argued and attacked each other, none of them willing to concede to the others.

Empress Dowager Xuan held the most power. She joined forces with Marquis Xiang, Wei Ran, who was stationed in Guanzhong, and controlled the military and political power in Guanzhong. She insisted on recommending Prince Fei to succeed to the throne.

"Our Liang Kingdom and the Chu Kingdom have always been on good terms, with intermarriages for generations. Now that Liang Kingdom is in turmoil, appointing Prince Fei as king will not only continue the relationship between Liang and Chu, but also stabilize the situation in the court as soon as possible."

Lady Wei firmly disagreed, as she had the support of the foreign ministers of both Wei and Zheng states and recommended her son Cheng to succeed to the throne.

"The new king of Chu has only recently ascended the throne and is still unable to take care of himself. Prince Cheng, being the eldest son of the late king, is the most suitable to succeed him and can also appease the states of Wei and Zheng outside the pass."

"That is incorrect. The late king's eldest son was Prince Zheng. We should wait for his return before discussing this further."

Zhao Wei, leading the Tang faction, said.

"Prince Zheng is far away in Hanzhong, and it is unknown when he will return. There is no need to discuss this."

Right Chancellor Fan Ze shook his head.

He was a representative of the neutral faction, not targeting anyone but the Left Chancellor Zhao Wei.

Upon hearing this, others echoed his sentiments.

"Prince Zheng has already gone out to take up his fiefdom, so it is impossible for him to inherit the throne of the King of Liang."

"Lord Hanyang destroyed the Baoxie Plank Road back then, and I heard it's still being rebuilt. How can it be returned to Xianyang?"

Even if Lord Hanyang had wings on his back, he probably wouldn't be able to get back in time.

The ministers mocked him, each offering their own sarcastic remarks.

Zhao Wei was outnumbered and outmatched, so he could only harbor resentment in his heart.

If it weren't for someone ruining the plan three years ago, and if we hadn't failed to persuade Zhao Ji three years later...

How could he possibly find himself in such a passive situation?

Empress Dowager Xuan ruled from behind the curtain, listening to the sarcastic remarks of her ministers, and then glancing at the confident Marquis Xiang, she curled the corners of her mouth.

Given the current situation, it's only a matter of time before her chosen son, Fei, succeeds to the throne.

While the people in the court were still arguing.

Suddenly, an envoy burst into the court.

"I hereby address the Empress Dowager and all the nobles!"

The envoy, drenched in sweat, disregarded court etiquette and addressed everyone loudly.

"Something terrible has happened! The Lord of Pingliang in the west is leading 100,000 Xiliang cavalry eastward toward Xianyang!"

"ah?!!"

The entire hall was stunned, as if struck by lightning.

Before they could even process the news, another messenger arrived with the report.

This time, however, it was the allied forces of Wei and Zheng in the east who were knocking on the gate of Hangu Pass.

The entire Guanzhong region was suddenly caught in a predicament, attacked from the east, west, inside, and outside.

……

At this point, attention turned to Xiliang.

Lord Pingliang, Luo Xiao, led 100,000 iron cavalry eastward from Longxi toward Guanzhong.

He was dressed in silver armor and brocade robes, riding a dragon-blood steed, exuding the aura of a seasoned warrior.

As the half-brother of King Chu of Liang, he guarded the harsh and cold land of Xiliang for more than ten years.

They continued to expand their territory, conserve their strength, and patiently await the right opportunity.

Now, the King of Liang has died unexpectedly from illness, without having designated a crown prince before his death.

This finally gave him a legitimate reason to take control of Guanzhong and preside over the overall situation.

What's meant to be mine will always be mine.

Lord Pingliang gripped the reins tightly.

It seemed as if he was recalling the day six years ago when Empress Dowager Xuan, together with Wei Ran, drove him back to Xiliang.

At the time, he was arrogant and proud, but unexpectedly, he suffered his first defeat in the military competition, which was his forte.

However, the situation is different now.

His advisors had analyzed it for him.

"The State of Chu had just experienced internal turmoil. Although Empress Dowager Xuan and Wei Ran controlled the military and political affairs of Guanzhong, they lacked external support."

"Although Lady Wei lacks power, she can still restrain the other side by relying on the states of Wei and Zheng outside the pass."

"In this way, we can take advantage of the situation, let the snipe and the clam fight, and let the fisherman benefit."

Lord Pingliang spurred his horse and cracked his whip, full of vigor and high spirits.

As for Prince Zheng...

He was kicked out of the crown prince competition three years ago.

Even the remote Western Liang region had heard of the other side's infamous reputation.

And they're still foolishly building a plank road.

What imperial bearing?

Stop increasing laughter.

There's absolutely nothing to worry about.

Lord Pingliang thought to himself that in the entire Liang Kingdom, there was only one person who could threaten him.

"Xuanluo, can you stop me this time?"

That's what I was thinking.

Suddenly, a scout came to report.

"General, a large army is blocking our way at Chencang ahead."

Lord Pingliang was taken aback upon hearing this.

Could it really be Xuanluo, who made preparations in Chencang in advance?

He immediately asked.

"What banner are they using?"

The scout replied.

"Chinese."

……

at the same time.

On the Guanzhong Plain, three thousand elite cavalrymen galloped like the wind.

The person in charge was Luo Zheng.

Since there was no Han Xin by his side, he had to impersonate Han Xin himself.

They put on a show of "openly repairing the plank road while secretly crossing the Chencang pass" for everyone.

As expected, Guanzhong heavily guarded the Baoxie Plank Road, while neglecting to defend the Chencang Road.

However, just as their army arrived at Chencang, they received news that Lord Pingliang was leading an army eastward.

Luo Zheng knew immediately that something terrible had happened.

If I were to head east to Xianyang, I would be relentlessly pursued by Lord Pingliang, like a cicada stalking its prey.

If they defend to the west, they will miss the opportunity and both sides will suffer heavy losses.

So Luo Zheng gritted his teeth and decided to let Bai Jian lead the army to defend Chencang, while he himself led three thousand elite cavalry to launch a surprise attack on Guanzhong.

"Your Excellency is truly wise! With General Bai Jian here, our rear is safe, and we can confidently launch a surprise attack on Xianyang."

A brave young general praised from the side.

This man was named Yang Zheng, and he was the vanguard general of this elite cavalry force.

He was also one of the four mediocre generals of Liang Wang Zheng, and a descendant of the Yang family, a military family in Longxi.

He came to Hanzhong from Longxi last year to join Luo Zheng and was in charge of training cavalry.

Luo Zheng didn't think much of him.

Because of his predetermined fate, this guy, along with Teng Mian, another of the four mediocre generals, was defeated so badly by Xiang Hong of Chu in the first war to destroy Chu that he was unrecognizable.

Now, hearing Yang Zheng boasting about Bai Jian, Luo Zheng could only chuckle.

"Hehe... I know General Bai Jian's character and abilities quite well..."

He knew one thing well: even mediocre generals have their uses.

For example, Teng Mian, who was straightforward, blindly loyal, and inflexible, was won over by Luo Zheng and secretly protected Zhao Ji and Xia Ji.

As is well known, Bai Jian is an old turtle who always backs down in battle and only fights when things are going well.

To put it another way, White Dragon should be very strong when it gets going.

The Pingliang Lord was known for his 100,000 iron cavalry, but his true elite force numbered only 10,000.

Among the large army that Luo Zheng left for Bai Jian, there were 10,000 elite soldiers from Liang, plus 20,000 conscripted county soldiers and 20,000 auxiliary soldiers.

The key is that there's also Sui Qin, a Mohist who excels at defense, who helps with developing advanced technology.

There is no worry about food supplies and baggage.

Therefore, theoretically, this is Bai Jian's best strategy: to play defensively when the game is going well.

However, Lord Pingliang is also a formidable figure, so we can't rely too much on Bai Jian to hold out indefinitely.

According to predetermined fate, it seems that Liang Wang Zheng only has one general under his command who can defeat Pingliang Jun.

He was Han Xin, Bai Qi, and Zhou Yafu under King Zheng of Liang.

The one ranked first among the four mediocre generals—

Xuanluo.

"General Yang, can you keep up with my speed?"

Luo Zheng suddenly asked.

He needs to speed up.

Yang Zheng understood Luo Zheng's meaning, and a surge of pride welled up in his heart.

"Of course! As long as it's your wish, I will certainly advance ten thousand miles in a day!"

"Great! Very energetic!"

Luo Zheng laughed loudly.

Although Yang Zheng underestimated the enemy and acted rashly, he also had an advantage.

That is, speed is of the essence in warfare.

soon.

Under Yang Zheng's leadership, the three thousand elite cavalrymen advanced with unstoppable momentum.

At this time, Guanzhong had only recently received news from the Lord of Pingliang, and various regions had not yet completed their defense deployments.

The towns and cities along the way heard the thunder of ten thousand horses galloping outside their cities and looked out into the distance.

But what one sees are golden spears and iron horses, their might swallowing up ten thousand miles like a tiger.

They assumed it was Lord Pingliang who had arrived.

Almost all of them surrendered at the mere sight of the enemy.

At most, they would simply stay put and let the elite cavalry leave unimpeded.

When they met the commander-in-chief.

The city's defenders' eyes widened in shock.

"It's Lord Hanyang!"

When the messenger arrived in Xianyang, he reported the news of Hanyang Jun's entry into the Guanzhong Plain to the Xianyang court.

Everyone in the court, whether it was Empress Dowager Xuan, Marquis Xiang, Lady Wei, or Fan Ze.

This even includes Zhao Wei.

They were all dumbfounded.