Meanwhile, Xu Taiwei's face was filled with anger, and the Prince of Ning, hiding outside Luoyang City, was even more furious, almost roaring aloud, constantly muttering "damn it, damn it, how dare the Marquis of Zhenxi do such a thing."
He had originally thought that even if they couldn't cooperate happily, at least they could reach some consensus.
But who would have thought that the other party would show no respect at all and directly mock him, look down on him.
This undoubtedly broke the defenses of the Prince of Ning, who had always considered himself superior in the capital. He then eagerly ordered Xu Taiwei to threaten the Marquis of Zhenxi, saying things like, "I know some of the things you've done in private. Believe it or not, if I reveal this information, the army of rectification will be here in an instant. If you don't cooperate with me, you're as good as dead."
Such a threat left the Marquis of Zhenxi speechless.
What kind of fool was this?
Since he believed the army of rectification could come and eliminate him easily, why would he still want to cooperate? What qualification would someone who could be easily eliminated by the army of rectification have to rebel?
It was truly a baffling situation.
"I'm allergic to fools. Now, I'll give you one chance to leave. If you dare to spout any more nonsense to me, not only will you, the messenger, have to stay, but you will also have to stay with me. Don't think I don't know about the range limitations of this so-called communication jade talisman. You must be near Luoyang Commandery right now. Don't think I can't find you. Get lost!"
Talking to a fool for another moment was an insult to himself. The Marquis of Zhenxi, with a headache, issued his final ultimatum and waited for the reaction of the person in front of him.
If the other party turned around and left immediately, he wouldn't bother to pursue or search. But if he was still persistent, he wouldn't mind letting the so-called Prince of Ning meet his end in a foreign land.
Princes were forbidden to leave the capital without imperial decree. This was an ancestral rule. If he died here, no one could say anything.
It had to be said that although the Prince of Ning was a bit foolish in some aspects, he greatly valued his life.
After thinking for a few seconds, he quickly fled. As he fled, he didn't forget to tell Xu Taiwei to run quickly. So, before long, Xu Taiwei, who had been facing the Marquis of Zhenxi, darted away in a flash.
Then, Zhuge Yun, an aide to the Marquis of Zhenxi, who had been hiding nearby, came out and asked curiously, "Why didn't Your Highness keep him? What if that fool really goes to report us?"
"He won't. Imperial princes are forbidden to leave the capital, which also means they are not allowed to extend their influence beyond the capital. If he reports us, how will he explain his knowledge? I can still defend myself. He, on the other hand, is directly violating an ancestral rule!" The Marquis of Zhenxi shook his head indifferently.
"But you also said he's foolish. We can't judge a fool by normal standards. This is unpredictable. Why not let the Prince of Ning meet his end in a foreign land? My men have already found him and are tracking him. We can act at any time..." Zhuge Yun was still a bit worried. The Prince of Ning's intelligence was not high, and his thought process might be different from normal people, so he couldn't be judged by common sense. What if, in a fit of rage, his mind short-circuited and he actually revealed everything? The worst that could happen would be house arrest, with his activities restricted from the capital to the Prince of Ning's mansion. If he was lucky and the imperial clan pleaded for him, his sins might be absolved. Why not be decisive, cut off the roots, and eliminate future trouble? To achieve great things, one cannot be sentimental.
"What you said is indeed a problem, but the Prince of Ning dying here would be more likely to alert the enemy. Moreover, it's easy to kill the Prince of Ning, but it's not so easy to kill the Martial Saint who came on behalf of the Prince of Ning today. Once a Martial Saint is determined to flee, it's hard to kill him! Let's leave this matter as it is. We'll deal with whatever comes next. However, your ability to infiltrate and hide is too poor. The Prince of Ning could send a Martial Saint to find us. If the imperial court really sends people to investigate, can I still count on you to hide? You've already captured several Western Regions oases, haven't you? Hurry up and transfer the excess soldiers to those places through trade routes. Anyway, I never intended to rebel. If the plan is advanced, so be it! It doesn't matter!"
The Marquis of Zhenxi was, after all, quite wary of the Great Zhou Dynasty. Moreover, his private actions were not for rebellion. He simply felt that being the Marquis of Zhenxi here was both stifling and dangerous. It would be better to seize the opportunity to accumulate strength, conquer a few small Western Region countries, and declare himself king. At that time, even if it was a tributary state, it would be safer and more comfortable than being the Marquis of Zhenxi.
That's right, he was privately stockpiling troops and contacting some declining imperial clans, not for rebellion. He didn't think he had the ability to rebel. He just hoped to conquer a territory outside the Great Zhou Dynasty and become a king himself. True feudal enfeoffment, rather than working for others and potentially being replaced by someone more capable or stronger at any moment, with one's life not even guaranteed. Therefore, even if the Prince of Ning went to the capital to report him, as long as he didn't directly confront the imperial army, he would have enough time to withdraw from Great Zhou, and the danger would not be significant. There was no need to kill the Prince of Ning and create unnecessary complications. It was better to seize this time to quickly transport the extra troops to the already captured Western Region oases, in coordination with the declining imperial clans who had secretly gone there to assist in construction.
Those declining imperial clans were the few people he could find who possessed martial arts, knowledge, would not leak secrets, and were willing to cooperate with him to help him build a country. All he had to do was promise them titles and official positions once the country was established. Although he was also drawing a grand picture, he at least demonstrated convincing strength. This was different from the Prince of Ning, who had nothing and was trying to get something for nothing by drawing grand pictures. Therefore, many imperial clans who had become commoners and were not allowed to participate in imperial examinations or join the army were willing to cooperate.
"Yes!" Zhuge Yun persuaded the Marquis of Zhenxi, not because he didn't know these things, but because he thought the Marquis of Zhenxi would strictly follow the original plan, which was to wait for Emperor Qianyu to die, and then when Empress Yunxia ascended the throne and was preoccupied, he would officially lead his army to leave Great Zhou. But who knew that he would change his mind at any time? If the plan was advanced, there would be fewer concerns, and there would be no need to kill the Prince of Ning. Therefore, Zhuge Yun acknowledged and immediately withdrew to arrange the migration of soldiers.
Fortunately, they had a certain degree of autonomy, and the population and land management in remote and backward areas were not very strict, which gave them an opportunity. The migration of hundreds of thousands of soldiers and their families, totaling over a million people, could be temporarily concealed without causing major commotion. If such a thing were to happen in a prosperous area, imperial envoys would likely have come to investigate and pursue them long ago.