Chapter 831 Setting Out!

Announcing an imperial decree to the wrong person is not only a desecration of the decree itself but also a profound disrespect to the intended recipient.

Behind the gates of the Prince's Mansion, Chen Daole said,

"Is he scared witless?"

The blind man, however, said, "Such licking."

The Way of Licking,

The highest realm is to hear thunder in silence;

Without warning, without a trace, without the slightest intentionality, and yet making people feel it, a complete and utter sincerity, good licking is born of nature, a stroke of genius.

Alas,

The blind man sighed,

And offered the peeled orange segment to Chen Daole again.

Chen Daole took the orange and put it in his mouth.

He Chunlai, standing beside him, looked at the small blister on the corner of Chen Daole's mouth and felt inexplicably happy.

At the gate of the Prince’s Mansion,

Zheng Fan smiled, shook his head, and walked down the steps.

Huang, the eunuch, still hadn't realized that he had previously called out "Jingnan Prince" instead of "Pingxi Prince," and no one around him would remind him at this moment. So, when he saw the Pingxi Prince walking towards him, he subconsciously raised the sealed box of the imperial decree to stand up, but because he had previously been standing off-balance, he lost his footing and fell backward.

"Thump!"

The sealed box of the imperial decree fell, but Zheng Fan caught it.

"Your... Your Highness..."

Huang, the eunuch, was tearful, on the verge of bursting into tears.

"I know."

Zheng Fan took the sealed box, but didn't open it. He simply patted it casually as if it were an ordinary object.

After saying these words,

Zheng Fan turned around and walked back to the Prince's Mansion.

Huang, the eunuch, scrambled to his feet, and the attendants beside him immediately rushed over to pick up the eunuch's robes that he had taken off earlier and helped him put them back on.

From beginning to end,

Neither Huang, the eunuch, himself, nor these attendants, nor even the surrounding onlookers, felt that the Pingxi Prince was committing any crime by receiving the imperial decree in such a casual manner.

In the eyes of the common people, the imperial court had created this mess themselves, and now they were begging His Highness to clean it up for them. His Highness's attitude was perfectly acceptable!

Everyone had seen what it was like to borrow money; naturally, one had to act like a grandson.

As for the attendants, they had already prepared to collect the body of their master and then be sent to guard the imperial tombs after returning to the capital. Now, it was like seeing the light after passing through dark clouds. They wouldn't bother with such trivial matters.

As for Huang, the eunuch,

He was truly a bit out of his mind;

Of course, even if he were clear-headed, he wouldn't bother with formalities. He wouldn't be so foolish as to shout at the Pingxi Prince's back: "This is a grave offense!"

If he did, the stone lions he had just said goodbye to would probably come into close contact with him again;

And if the news reached His Majesty,

His Majesty wouldn't think he was commendably loyal. Instead, he would issue another decree: "That servant is ignorant. You did well to beat him to death. You've worked hard."

And after this scene,

As the crowd dispersed,

The news gradually began to spread.

There was going to be a war,

They were going to call up troops,

Everyone, the opportunity had come!

Jinxi had suffered a defeat and many had died, but here in Jindong, people were still delighted at the prospect of war. The soldiers and civilians here didn't care too much about what kind of fierce general Li Fusheng was, or how elite his troops were. In any case, their own prince was invincible, and the rest were just cannon fodder.

The various levels of government under the Prince's Mansion were also prepared, waiting for the Prince's orders to be officially issued, so they could immediately enter wartime operation.

The laborers would be counted, registered, and organized into ranks,

The auxiliary soldiers would be issued weapons and armor, ready to enlist,

The households with horses would have to lead their horses to the squad leader, the centurion, and the higher-ups to sign in.

The armories would be opened, and the well-maintained military equipment would be transferred into specific sequences, and granaries everywhere would be opened, and the stored grain would be transported out for the needs of the war.

And on the streets of Fengxin City, the people's daily needs would enter a rationing system, to support the front lines to the greatest extent possible.

The workshops, shops, and other industries under the Prince's Mansion would all be converted to "military supply."

This operating model, where everything served the war effort, could indeed concentrate a large number of resources in a short period of time to deal with external threats. In essence, the successive centralizations of imperial power were also attempts to get as close to this effect as possible. In comparison, the new order of the Prince's Mansion, which had been planned long ago and built on a blank slate, was simpler and more direct.

But there was no such thing as a perfect and unchanging model in this world, because the operation of the model ultimately depended on people to execute it. But at least, under the rule of the "Pingxi Prince," who was like a god, this model would wholeheartedly serve the Prince's will;

As for the future, reforms to adapt to the situation, etc…

Not to mention that the Prince's children hadn't even been born yet. Even if they were born, neither Zheng Fan nor the demon kings would be willing to put in the effort to lay the foundation for some eternal dynasty;

Firstly, it was unreliable, and secondly, they were happy now, and their children would have their own fortunes, so let them be.

But,

All the way until nightfall,

The order from the Prince's Mansion still hadn't been issued;

Not only had the war preparations not begun, but there was no news of the mobilization of troops stationed in various places.

But clearly, their own prince had already received the imperial decree?

…

Huang, the eunuch, who had slept for another night, woke up and heard the report from his attendant.

He didn't say anything, had some porridge, and then went back to sleep.

Since the decree had been delivered and the Prince had reached out and taken it, his mission was complete.

Huang, the eunuch, was very open-minded, because now, apart from being open-minded, there was nothing else he could do.

Arrogantly scold the Pingxi Prince for being negligent in fulfilling the imperial command?

Or cry and hug the Pingxi Prince's leg, begging the Prince to quickly come out of the mountain and solve the Emperor's worries!

Or put a knife to his own neck, threatening the Prince that if he didn't send troops, he would die in front of him!

The third option could be directly eliminated,

Because the Prince's answer would probably be:

"Oh, then die."

Therefore,

Huang, the eunuch, turned to his side, resting his cheek on his arm, and soon began to snore again.

The last time he raided Fan City, Huang, the eunuch, had an experienced captain by his side who told him that when the troops stopped, don't think too much, and don't be nervous and anxious, because it was meaningless. What should you do? Seize the time to sleep a little longer.

…

On the first day after receiving the decree, the Prince's Mansion was silent;

On the second day after receiving the decree, Fengxin City was silent;

On the third day after receiving the decree, the entire Jindong was still silent.

Huang, the eunuch, came from Yanjing City, so he naturally knew that because of the great defeat in Liangdi, the entire Yan-Jin area was now in a state of anxiety.

Originally, the soldiers and civilians of Jindong were happy to watch the excitement. The more anxious you are, the more comfortable we are. But now, even the soldiers and civilians of Jindong were starting to feel anxious.

In this anxious atmosphere,

Huang, the eunuch, received an invitation from the Prince's Mansion,

The Prince was going to take his wives and children on a spring outing to the countryside.

The season for spring outings had long passed, but the scenery of summer was truly lush.

Today was a clear day with some wind, and the scorching heat of the sun was blown away by the wind, so it didn't feel so burning.

There weren't many people accompanying them. At least, for the Prince's usual pomp and circumstance, it seemed a bit too simple. Even the Embroidered Uniform Guards of the Prince's Mansion hadn't come along this time.

But, the Sword Saint, had come.

By a river,

Pixiu leisurely led a group of his horse brothers on a walk, and taking advantage of the fact that the Prince over there wasn't paying attention, he deliberately shook his body, showing off his shimmering silver armor.

On the other side, everyone sat on the ground.

This time, Tiantian and the Crown Prince weren't busy practicing archery and hunting, but sat obediently to the side.

Si Niang and the Princess sat together, while Liu Ruqing was preparing iced drinks on the side.

The Sword Saint leaned against a tree, with Long Yuan placed in front of him, wearing a bamboo hat to shield the light. He hadn't moved for a long time, probably already asleep. Behind him, Xu Chuang lay there, looking up at the sky, seemingly preoccupied.

A'ming and Cahill sat together, while Xue San brought Dai Li over to bum drinks;

Fan Li was catching fish in the river, and the Sword Maid sat on Fan Li's shoulders.

Liu Dahu and Zheng Man were standing nearby, holding fishing nets in preparation,

Chen Xianba had a grass stem in his mouth, looking at this group of children who seemed like they would never grow up, but his eyes were gleaming with anticipation, as if he was just waiting to shout, "Let me catch the fish!"

Chen Daole and He Chunlai sat behind the blind man, sitting upright, constantly watching the blind man's speed at peeling oranges.

Huang, the eunuch, bent his legs and stood on the edge, not sitting down.

The Pingxi Prince himself, with his hands propped up behind him, occasionally looked at his wives.

The Crown Prince looked at Huang, the eunuch,

Huang, the eunuch, pretended not to notice the Crown Prince's gaze;

Then,

Huang, the eunuch, looked up again, looking at the Crown Prince;

The Crown Prince lowered his head in a panic, also seemingly not seeing Huang, the eunuch's gaze.

Tiantian looked at the Crown Prince beside him, and then looked at Huang, the eunuch. He touched his head strangely, and then took out two peach cakes from his pocket, giving one to the Crown Prince.

Further away,

Little Zhang, the eunuch, and Zhao Cheng, the eunuch, stood there like statues.

Those who should speak, didn't speak;

Those who wanted to ask questions, didn't dare to ask.

It seemed that they had really just come to feel the breeze and enjoy the scenery.

At this moment,

A small boat appeared on the river, with a white-robed middle-aged scholar sitting on the boat, and a handsome man with a saber standing beside him.

The appearance of the small boat was unexpected;

Fan Li stopped catching fish and silently walked to the shore, picking up his axe.

Chen Xianba let out a low roar, slammed his fist on the mirror protecting his chest, and picked up his meteor hammer.

This was a weapon forged for him by Xue San. After learning that Third Master was an expert in weapons, Chen Xianba, who was usually arrogant in the personal guard camp, rarely pestered Xue San for three days, even following Third Master to the latrine, using this extremely rogue method to beg Third Master to design and forge this weapon for him.

Third Master was usually the most impatient with such troublesome things, but even he could see that this young man had great opportunities. If nothing unexpected happened, he would definitely be a template for a fierce general in a few more years, so he gritted his teeth and helped him.

After Chen Xianba sent the signal, Liu Dahu and Zheng Man also immediately picked up their knives and followed Chen Xianba, taking the initiative to walk towards the small boat.

His son had gone,

So the Sword Saint reached out and lifted his bamboo hat.

If the small boat got any closer, they would "rather kill a thousand by mistake."

Fortunately,

At this time, Huang, the eunuch, had sharp eyes,

And shouted,

"Lord Yuan?"

Without waiting for others to ask who "Lord Yuan" was, Huang, the eunuch, immediately added,

"Yuan Tugé, formerly the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Rites."

The blind man said,

"He can be considered one of the few talented figures of the Yan Kingdom back then. He passed the imperial examination in the Qian Kingdom when he was young.

He was once a close friend of the Third Prince, and after the Third Prince was imprisoned at Huxinting, although he wasn't a member of the Third Prince's faction, he was implicated and transferred to Huwei County to serve as a local official, and later transferred to Jin to serve as a local governor."

From the perspective of the Yan people, going from a promising official in the Six Ministries to being transferred to a local post, and then to Jin, was equivalent to going downhill all the way.

Before the Yan Kingdom sent troops to attack the Qian, although the Yan people had always looked down on the Qian people, it wasn't to such an extent, and the Qian people called themselves the pinnacle of civilization. Many Yan people didn't think much of it on the surface, but in their hearts, they couldn't help but stand on tiptoe to take a look.

In the early years, many people from Yan, Jin, and Chu had specially gone to the Qian Kingdom to participate in the imperial examination. As long as their identity documents were genuine, the Ministry of Rites of the Qian Kingdom would approve it;

And after passing the imperial examination in the Qian Kingdom, it was possible to stay in the Qian Kingdom to become an official, but in general, returning to one's home country would be better for one's future, equivalent to being gilded.

Zheng Fan nodded and said, "Sea turtle, huh."

The blind man smiled and said, "Your Highness is right."

"Do you know him?" Zheng Fan asked the blind man.

The Prince's Mansion's interpersonal relationships and networks were all maintained by Si Niang and the blind man. Zheng Fan himself was too lazy to deal with these things.

Si Niang and the blind man understood this, because the Prince only needed to be responsible for high-end relationships, especially in the early stages of entrepreneurship.

"Reporting to Your Highness, after he was transferred to Jin, he would send a painting to the Prince's Mansion every month."

"Oh."

The Prince wasn't interested.

Although it was rumored outside that the Pingxi Prince was well-read, the *Zhengzi's Art of War* was one example, and although he rarely wrote poetry, every piece that was circulated was a masterpiece.

Yao Zizhan of the Qian Kingdom had once scolded the Pingxi Prince for "humiliating culture" and treating literary elegance purely as a game, which was actually a kind of praise.

After hearing that Yuan Tugé only sent a painting every month, the Prince wasn't interested in him.

"It's an erotic painting."

"Oh?"

"But it's not the flavor that Your Highness likes, nor is it Your Highness's hobby. He likes young girls, so this subordinate didn't bother Your Highness."

"Beast."

Zheng Fan commented.

The blind man nodded in agreement, "Indeed."

In this era, men and women married early, and some aesthetics were very distorted;

In comparison, the Pingxi Prince, who had his own set of public customs and conscience, felt that the rumors about him "liking married women" were much more upright than this Yuan Tugé, no matter what.

But the prevailing trend was like this, especially in the Qian Kingdom. The story of a pear blossom tree pressing down on a Begonia tree could always become a beautiful tale. Yuan Tugé had studied in the Qian Kingdom, so it was normal for him to be infected by this trend.

At this time, the small boat stopped;

Chen Xianba led his two younger brothers to stand guard.

Yuan Tugé on the boat picked up a fishing rod and began to fish leisurely;

With an air of "I'm awesome," waiting for them to come with "Three Visits to the Thatched Cottage."

But when it came to showmanship, the people of the Prince's Mansion were far above him, so they weren't interested in cooperating with him.

But perhaps because the appearance of Yuan Tugé made the Crown Prince feel that the atmosphere was much more relaxed, the Crown Prince got up and walked solemnly to Zheng Fan, kneeling down:

"Chuanye pays his respects to his godfather."

The saying "godfather" had existed since ancient times, but a godfather was different from a "foster father";

A godfather was a child recognized based on the parents' relationship, while a foster father was a relationship that was accepted.

Li Fusheng's original surname was Guo, and he was one of the seven major commanders of the former Zhenbei Marquis's Mansion. Six of them were foster sons. Naturally, these weren't godchildren, but "foster children." You and I don't have the same surname, and I don't have any connection with your parents, but I value your ability, and you plan to serve me here, so I'll accept you as a "foster son," which proves that we're in the same system. A foster son belongs to his foster father, which is more like a further relationship between subordinate and lord.

"Chuanye knows that there are some things that Chuanye shouldn't ask, but please forgive Chuanye, godfather, as Chuanye still has the responsibility of being the Crown Prince."

"Ask," Zheng Fan raised his hand.

At this time,

Huang, the eunuch, also walked behind the Crown Prince and knelt down.

In the distance, Little Zhang, the eunuch, also knelt down when he saw this.

Zhao Cheng looked around. In name, he was serving the Crown Prince in the Prince's Mansion in place of Little Zhang, the eunuch, so he also knelt down.

"Chuanye knows that godfather must have a plan in mind, but Chuanye still has to ask, after the defeat in Liangdi, this child has heard that the hearts of the people in Jinxi are wavering. The people there must be hoping that godfather can arrive at Nanmenguan as soon as possible to pacify the people and the situation."

Obviously, these words had been rehearsed many times in the Crown Prince's mind, which was why he could say them so smoothly.

"Are you urging me?"

"This child wouldn't dare."

"Hehe, it's hard on you to endure for so long."

Zheng Fan didn't continue to tease the Crown Prince. Instead, he slowly stood up and stretched,

"Actually, there's no need to urge me. We'll set off today, but I wanted to take your aunts out to get some fresh air before setting out. They're pregnant, and I can't help but feel a little guilty."

The Crown Prince immediately said, "Godfather is concerned about the country. This child..."

"Alright, don't put a high hat on me. Come on, stand up."

The Crown Prince stood up and looked at Zheng Fan.

"Come on, give me a smile."

The Crown Prince revealed a sincere smile.

Huang, the eunuch, also raised his head, with the same expression.

"I didn't ask you to smile."

Hearing this, Huang, the eunuch, immediately lowered his head.

Zheng Fan walked to Huang, the eunuch, reached out, and patted Huang, the eunuch, on the shoulder, and said,

"Eunuch."

"This servant is here."

"This time, you'll still be the supervisor of the army."

"This servant is willing to serve the Prince... cough cough..."

The Crown Prince was present, so Huang, the eunuch, forcibly stopped himself.

Zheng Fan beckoned, and the Crown Prince and Tiantian followed him to Si Niang and the others.

The Prince bent down, looked at his two wives, and said,

"I'll try to come back as soon as possible, and try to make it in time."

Si Niang would have to stay this time. She was heavily pregnant and wasn't suitable for going to the front line. Even if Zheng Fan agreed, the other demon kings wouldn't let her go.

"Come back early," Si Niang said.

The Princess was much more formal. She stood up, bowed slightly, and said,

"Husband, this concubine will be waiting for your triumphant return at home."

Liu Ruqing knelt down to the side, bowing her head and saying,

"May my husband be safe, this concubine will be waiting for you."

The two children, seeing this, also knelt down to pay their respects to "Aunt";

When it came to Liu Ruqing, Liu Ruqing took the initiative to get up and avoid them.

After doing all this,

Zheng Fan whistled.

Pixiu, who was in the distance, galloped over, his silver armor shining in the sunlight.

After Zheng Fan got on, he reached out and picked up Tiantian, placing him in front of him.

The Crown Prince raised his hand and said, "Chuanye wants to go too."

Huang, the eunuch, immediately said, "Your Highness the Crown Prince, how can you..."

Before Huang, the eunuch, could finish speaking, Zheng Fan reached out and picked up the Crown Prince, placing him on Pixiu as well. The two children sat in front of him, with the Crown Prince in the first position, sandwiched between the sturdy Tiantian.

"This..."

Zheng Fan waved forward,

And said,

"Set out!"

"Yes!"

Chen Xianba led Liu Dahu and Zheng Man to mount their horses.

Fan Li, A'ming, Xue San, and the blind man also mounted their horses.

Si Niang and the female relatives stood at the back. They would return to the mansion in carriages later.

The Sword Saint stretched and followed.

The rest also mounted their horses.

Huang, the eunuch, also mounted his horse. He originally thought this was just an outing, so he didn't tell his attendants and guards to follow. Even now, he still thought this was a mobilization.

But who would have thought that

The Prince in the lead was urging his Pixiu to head west, not turning back to Fengxin City to the east at all.

What about the troops?

This… this… shouldn't they be mobilizing elites, building a high platform, killing something to sacrifice the flag, and then marching?

As the group progressed along the river, the small boat on the river approached the shore.

Yuan Tugé, dressed in white, knelt on the boat, and the guard beside him also knelt down:

"This subject pays his respects to Your Highness the Crown Prince, may Your Highness live for ten thousand years!"

"This subject pays his respects to His Highness the Pingxi Prince, may Your Highness have good fortune!"

A loyal official of the Great Yan would definitely pay respects to the foundation of the country first, and then to the Prince.

Zheng Fan wasn't too interested in this former colleague who liked to draw "erotic pictures." He never liked this so-called "famous scholar's romance."

But Yuan Tugé got up and took out a jar of wine, shouting:

"Your Highness, Yuan has just resigned from his official position at the beginning of summer, and is now a free cloud and wild crane. Hearing about the war in Jinxi and learning that the imperial court intends to summon Your Highness to sit in Nanmenguan to quell the situation, Yuan has sold all his family property and deposited the money in the Prince's Mansion's money house in Fengxin City, and bought this jar of wine with the rest.

This is the receipt, this is the money letter."

Yuan Tugé took out the two documents, tore them up, and threw them into the river in front of him.

This meant that the money he had deposited could no longer be withdrawn.

Because the money house in Fengxin City was now only used for circulation among merchants, involving large-scale trade, and hadn't been opened to the public yet, so it only recognized the receipt and not the person, because many shopkeepers weren't necessarily the real owners.

"A little family property, I'm willing to contribute a little to Your Highness's military expenses, and I hope Your Highness will accept this jar of wine."

Saying that,

Yuan Tugé handed the wine to the guard beside him.

The guard made a gesture to use qinggong to fly to the shore, but when the Sword Saint's gaze swept over, the guard hesitated, got off the boat, held the wine jar, waded to the shore, presented the wine jar, kowtowed, and retreated back.

"The intention is accepted," Zheng Fan nodded, acknowledging the other party's intention.

Regardless of whether he had any ulterior motives, the unrestrained energy he was exuding at this moment couldn't be faked.

Yuan Tugé also said:

"Your Highness, I was negligent before. From today onwards, I plan to draw a picture scroll that will definitely suit Your Highness's taste."

Zheng Fan reached out and touched Tiantian and the Crown Prince's heads,

And said:

"The children are still here."

"Yes, this subordinate was being presumptuous."

Then,

Yuan Tugé asked again: "Your Highness is heading west, is it for?"

"To set out."

"Then, where is Your Highness's army?" Yuan Tugé was a little surprised.

Where was the army?

Was he just going like this?

"Xuehai and Zhennan can't afford to lose, this king won't mobilize the troops from Jindong for this expedition."

If the troops from Jindong were mobilized, and it wasn't to fight in the snowfield or attack the Chu Kingdom, then, if a vacant Jindong were to have problems, the situation would completely collapse!

"Your Highness doesn't have any troops by your side, so how will you quell the situation?"

Yuan Tugé asked.

Zheng Fan smiled,

And pointed to the fishing rod that Yuan Tugé had previously used to pose on his small boat,

And said:

"What kind of hook do you use to fish?"

Yuan Tugé responded with a smile:

"Could it be that Your Highness wants to say that when Your Highness fishes, you like to take it straight and not seek the bend?"

Yuan Tugé felt that he had said the answer that the Prince wanted to say in advance, feeling a little smug.

But Zheng Fan shook his head,

And said:

"This king doesn't use a fishing hook to fish."

"You don't use a fishing hook?"

"I don't even use a fishing rod."

"You don't use a fishing rod? Then how do you fish?"

"This king only needs to stand on the shore and shout, and the fish will jump out of the water by themselves and come to this king's feet."

After hearing these words,

Yuan Tugé's expression was first absurd,

Then confused,

Then enlightened,

And finally, admiration.

"I knew His Highness's taste, but Yuan deliberately drew a childish one to send to the Prince's Mansion, just to deliberately go against Your Highness.

Now, Yuan feels that if he can entertain you with his painting skills, it's not insulting his painting skills, but it's truly worthwhile."

Yuan Tugé bowed,

And shouted;

"In the past, when the Chu slave barbarians caused chaos in Jin, my Great Yan suffered a setback. Fortunately, the Jingnan Prince came out of the mountain to stabilize the situation and unify the Three Jins.

The Jingnan Prince has now gone far away and there's no news of him, but my Great Yan is still fortunate to have His Highness the Pingxi Prince. The overall situation in Jinxi and the chaos in Liangdi will surely be quelled!"

After saying that,

Yuan Tugé threw the fishing rod beside him into the river,

Clapped his hands and laughed,

And said:

"What's the use of this damned fishing rod, what's the use of this cumbersome bait;

My Great Yan upholds the mandate of heaven, so we should obey the will of heaven!

They're afraid of another Jingnan Prince or afraid of another Zhenbei Prince, but Yuan clearly sees the black dragon flag that's always standing behind Your Highness.

What's there to be afraid of, what's there to fear,

If anyone should be afraid,

It shouldn't be the people of Yan who are afraid, it should be the Qian Chu and the petty Liang Kingdom who should be afraid!"

Zheng Fan smiled politely,

The Pixiu under his crotch began to run west, followed closely by a group of followers.

The small boat behind them and the people on the small boat were already blurred in the distance.

The Crown Prince turned his head in confusion and asked Tiantian behind him;

"Brother, what did that person just say?"

Tiantian shook his head, turned his head, and looked at Zheng Fan behind him,

And asked:

"Father?"

Faced with the confusion of the two children,

Zheng Fan didn't take it seriously and said:

"He's just full of hot air."

…

Three days ago,

Which was the day the Pingxi Prince received the decree, more than a hundred Embroidered Uniform Guards, holding a military order personally written and sealed by the Prince, left Fengxin City in advance and headed west all the way.

The original Jingnan Army system, the Jin Army system, the Imperial Army system, and the local warlord system; within Jin, all the troops and garrisons that had followed the Jingnan Prince's military flag to conquer Chu were, after several years, received the Prince's order again.

"By order of the Pingxi Prince, you are ordered to immediately set out for Nanmenguan. Anyone who fails to arrive on time will be killed without mercy!"

"This humble general obeys!"

"By order of the Pingxi Prince, you are ordered to immediately raise provisions and transport them to Nanmenguan. Anyone who dares to be late or short, will be killed without mercy!"

"This humble official obeys!"

The imperial court had always wanted to take back power, and the Emperor also had this idea, whether it was by instinct or not. No matter which generation of monarchs and ministers, they didn't want to put themselves on the edge of a cliff to preside over state affairs;

However,

The soldiers and civilians of the Great Yan, the localities of the Great Yan, since the time of the former Emperor, when the two princes stood side by side, had gradually become accustomed to a certain pattern. After being accustomed to it for a long time, it would naturally become a bit taken for granted.

This "taken for granted," whether it was top-down or bottom-up, at least, when the country was in turmoil, everyone, from top to bottom, entered their most accustomed inertia in handling such affairs.

Because in the past few years, this inertia had been proven time and time again to be really effective!

Even the veteran ministers in the Yanjing court who were most loyal to the Emperor and the imperial power would mutter a few words: "The tail is too big to wag, it's not a blessing for the country";

But in reality, they had long been lying down in the most comfortable position.

As for,

What kind of atmosphere should the heteronomous prince of Great Yan have? The Jingnan Prince had already set an example for Zheng Fan.

Now,

The Pingxi Prince of Great Yan set out, with only a dozen or so followers beside him when he left Fengxin City;

But after passing Wangjiang,

In front of him,

There would be thousands of troops.