roccoschili Chapter 397 Uneasy!
Chapter 397 Uneasy!
Just as Gu Jingzhi expected, nothing happened along the way until they arrived at the imperial tomb.
As Emperor Xia's coffin was buried in the imperial mausoleum, several more days passed.
Somehow, Gu Jingzhi felt more and more uneasy. Although there was nothing unusual with the civil and military officials and even the princes, everything was too quiet, so quiet that it was a little abnormal.
Gu Jingzhi brought Lin Feng to their temporary camp and spread out a map...
This is a map of all military deployments within a radius of nearly 300 miles, centered on the capital city and including the imperial mausoleum.
Gu Jingzhi silently looked at the markings on the map, but for a moment he didn't know where to start. Lin Feng thought for a moment and said, "Cousin, is it possible that we are overthinking it?"
"The only troops within a 300-li radius of the capital who can stand a chance against our guards are the Imperial Guards stationed in the capital, Brother Chong's city defense battalion, the Jingji Camp, the Yongcheng Army, and the Jicheng Army!"
"The Imperial Guards are not allowed to leave the Imperial City without a transfer order, and there is no need to doubt Chong Ge's City Defense Battalion!"
"The various factions in the capital's main camp are holding each other back. Even if there are a few individuals with ulterior motives, I don't think they will be able to accomplish anything. Although the Yongcheng Army is controlled by the Yin family, Yongcheng is west of the capital. If they want to threaten us, they will not only need the tiger talisman and transfer order, but also a clearance document issued by the Ministry of War!"
"I don't think Minister Dong would be so ignorant of the seriousness of the matter!"
Because of Queen Yin's relationship, the Yin family was punished for disrupting the currency, but they did not suffer as serious damage as the other families.
Furthermore, Queen Yin had also come forward to negotiate with the Crown Prince about the Second Prince giving up the fight for the throne. In exchange, the Yin family just spent money to avoid disaster and handed over all the gold and silver in stock to the national treasury. The Crown Prince did not want to force the Second Prince and Queen Yin, so the Yin family was not greatly implicated.
But even so, the Yin family still holds military power, and it is impossible for Dong Zhentang not to be on guard under such circumstances.
Moreover, the guards brought out now are all people that Gu Jingzhi can trust, which is equivalent to keeping the second son and Queen Yin in his hands. The Yin family knows the pros and cons of this.
Gu Jingzhi thought for a moment and asked, "What about Jicheng Army?"
"Jicheng Army..."
Lin Feng frowned and said, "Jicheng Army's Commander Lu Hu... I've only heard of this man's name, but I know nothing else about him. However, the Jicheng Army only has 30,000 troops..."
"If we engage in a head-on battle, our ten thousand men might not be a match for them, but if they want us to stay... it's impossible!"
"Ok!"
Gu Jing nodded subconsciously. There was nothing wrong with Lin Feng's analysis.
However, when it comes to that location, no one can guarantee what will happen, and Lin Chong must stay in the capital to avoid having their retreat cut off.
As for the 50,000 troops guarding the imperial city, let alone Gu Jingzhi, even Lin Feng... He had been in the imperial guards for so long that he couldn't guarantee that he hadn't been touched by others.
You must know that there are still 40,000 people left in the imperial city. Now that the prince and the queen are outside, the imperial guards are under the command of Zhou Sheng.
Although Zhou Sheng enjoyed the Xia Emperor's trust, he wasn't familiar with Gu Jingzhi and the others. Because of the previous treason case, the Crown Prince didn't dare to contact the commander-in-chief of the Imperial Guards...
Although the possibility of Zhou Sheng rebelling is extremely small, but apart from Lin Feng and Lin Chong, others...
Gu Jingzhi didn’t quite trust it!
Especially at this critical moment.
"Jicheng Army..."
Gu Jingzhi looked towards Jicheng and asked, "Has the Jicheng army shown any unusual behavior recently?"
Lin Feng shook his head: "I didn't notice anything unusual. Although our secret guard brothers have no roots in Jicheng, if such a large army wants to be mobilized, it will definitely not escape the detection of the secret guards!"
Gu Jingzhi frowned.
"Am I overthinking it?"
He murmured subconsciously.
Lin Feng thought about it, and finally said helplessly: "At least, from the surface, there is no problem!"
"..."
Gu Jingzhi thought for a moment and asked, "We'll be returning to the capital in a few days. Send more people along the way to inquire about the situation. Also, I've prepared a letter. Send someone to deliver it quickly back to the Marquis' Mansion!"
Lin Feng nodded. Although he always felt that his cousin was too sensitive, the two brothers had been together for so long that he also knew Gu Jingzhi's personality.
It's better to be prepared than to do nothing. After all, none of them can afford to take the risk!
However, he thought about it and asked, "Should this matter be reported to His Royal Highness the Crown Prince?"
"I'll go there myself!"
Gu Jingzhi thought about it and decided to tell the prince. Although these were just speculations, there were too many things involved. If he was not careful, it might cause a rift between him and the prince.
……
After sending Lin Feng away, Gu Jingzhi came to the prince's camp.
The prince was a little surprised to see Gu Jingzhi coming. After all, Gu Jingzhi had been dealing with defense issues these days, and he communicated with the three ministers of the cabinet for everything.
Now that Gu Jing came to his house, he was quite surprised.
He asked, "What's the big deal that brought Jingzhi here?"
He knew Gu Jingzhi. If it wasn't a big deal, he would have handled it himself. Now that he had come to his house, there must be something that required his decision.
Gu Jingzhi listened to the prince's question, thought for a moment, and then said with a wry smile: "To be honest, I don't know if this can be considered a big deal..."
"???"
The prince was a little confused.
I wonder if it's a big deal? Then what are you doing here?
Gu Jingzhi smiled bitterly and said, "I have been feeling uneasy these days. The date of my return to the capital is getting closer and closer. I suspect..."
He expressed the doubts in his heart.
After hearing this, the prince's expression became solemn. After all, it was the final step, and even if there was a possibility of success, he could not be careless.
He said, "Jingzhi has this idea, it's not impossible, but as you just said, the capital has made arrangements, and even the rest of the troops stationed there don't seem to be anything unusual..."
"I'm afraid it's not a good idea to start a war?"
The prince turned his gaze to Gu Jingzhi.
Gu Jingzhi nodded and said, "It's really not a good idea to start a war. If we make a mistake in judgment, I'm afraid..."
As an emperor who is about to take office, if he mobilizes troops based on his own speculation without any actual evidence, it will undoubtedly be a blow to the new emperor's prestige.
The Crown Prince is about to return to the capital and ascend the throne. If a war is started due to suspicion, it will inevitably affect the Crown Prince's reputation!
But if you don’t prepare anything, you’ll inevitably feel a little uneasy!
The prince thought for a moment and asked, "You must have come here with a plan to deal with this. Why don't you tell me about it?"
"Your Highness! I do have a solution!"
Gu Jingzhi said, "The late emperor bestowed upon me the Great Xia Dragon Bird. This sword can mobilize an entire battalion of troops. I believe that sending a large army directly is not a good idea. However, if I bring this sword to Duke Ying, can I, under the pretext of training, dispatch a battalion of troops to meet us on our way back to the capital?"
"This……"
The prince frowned slightly.