HCB Chapter 232 The Tiger Tally Cannot Mobilize the Roushan Army!
Chapter 232 The Tiger Tally Cannot Mobilize the Roushan Army!
Cao Yun heard the Crown Prince's order but did not react.
Chen Wenyu's stubborn voice rang out again: "General Cao, you mustn't! Zhou Wei is an official appointed by the imperial court, and A Bao is also an auspicious beast. General Cao, you must not harm either of them!"
Chen Wenyu was repeatedly protected by A Bao, so how could he just stand by and watch A Bao be killed?
Although A Bao is fierce, there are still 20,000 Rou Shan soldiers in the square.
Even if A Bao were incredibly agile, he would still be injured under a barrage of arrows, let alone with Zhou Wei by his side.
Ah Bao is so kind, he will definitely not ignore Zhou Wei, and he will probably suffer a great loss in the end!
After saying that, he turned to Cao Yun and said, "General Cao, you were originally the deputy general of Roushan Camp. Now that the commander-in-chief Qian Tao is here, you should immediately return the position of commander-in-chief."
The prince angrily raised his hand to slap Chen Wenyu, but when he saw Abao staring at him intently, he sheepishly withdrew his hand.
He angrily said, "Cao Yun, the other half of the Tiger Tally is still in my hands. I am the commander-in-chief of the army. I order you not to transfer military power to Qian Tao."
"Now, send some people to keep an eye on these people, and the rest will come with me to Hexi Palace to pay our respects to Father Emperor!"
Upon hearing this, everyone glared angrily at the Crown Prince!
Why did they bring the fully armed Roushan Army to Hexi Palace? Weren't they just preparing to force the Great Zhou Emperor to abdicate?
The Crown Prince is no longer putting on an act; he's actually preparing to force the emperor to abdicate!
Bai Xiaoxiao, who had been keeping a low profile, suddenly stepped forward and raised the Imperial Seal of the State in her hand.
She declared in a loud voice: "Soldiers of Roushan Camp, listen to my command! I, in my capacity as regent, hereby depose Jiang Yueshan from his position as Crown Prince. From this moment forward, he is no longer the Crown Prince of the Great Zhou!"
Despite this sudden turn of events, Cao Yun remained unresponsive, standing silently before the army formation.
The Crown Prince was initially anxious upon hearing Bai Xiaoxiao's decree to depose him, but upon seeing Cao Yun's attitude, he immediately felt relieved.
He said with a mocking expression, "Imperial Consort, I see you still haven't grasped the situation!"
"The Roushan Army is acting on my orders to enter the capital to purge the court of corrupt officials and eliminate the wicked concubine. Who is the wicked concubine? You are it!"
"Even on the verge of death, he still dares to use the Imperial Seal to forge imperial edicts? He's dreaming."
Bai Xiaoxiao ignored the Crown Prince, her gaze sweeping over the assembled officials, her voice firm and resolute.
"All courtiers, please listen carefully. I am now the regent. The decree has been issued, and Jiang Yueshan is no longer the crown prince of the Great Zhou."
"Regardless of the outcome of his coup today, the removal of the crown prince is a foregone conclusion. Do you all understand my meaning?"
Zhou Wei frowned and glanced at Bai Xiaoxiao.
I really don't understand this vixen.
Now that Jiang Yueshan holds military power, he seems destined to be the ultimate victor.
Bai Xiaoxiao's actions, besides provoking Jiang Yueshan and making her death even more miserable, did her no good whatsoever.
If we have to say who benefits, then it can only be the next crown prince!
Bai Xiaoxiao deposed the heir apparent in front of all the officials and the Roushan Army, thus confirming the matter and not intending to give Jiang Yueshan any chance to turn the tables.
If Jiang Yueshan wins this battle, then his ascension to the throne will be illegitimate.
If the eldest princess wins, then there will be no more worries about the succession to the throne!
It seems that Bai Xiaoxiao is using this last bit of time to clear obstacles for the next crown prince.
Among the court officials, there were some clever ones who immediately bowed to Bai Xiaoxiao.
"Jiang Yueshan is a traitorous minister, no longer the Crown Prince of the Great Zhou. We understand!"
The voices of the crowd merged together, echoing in the empty square, which greatly annoyed the prince.
He could no longer suppress his anger and said to Cao Yun:
"Rou Shan Army, listen to my command! Immediately execute Bai Xiaoxiao, this wicked woman who has brought ruin to the country, and purge the court of corrupt officials!"
However, despite the order being issued, the Roushan Army did not move.
Cao Yun still looked at the Crown Prince with that indifferent expression.
Upon seeing this, the Crown Prince flew into a rage: "Cao Yun, how dare you disobey military orders?"
Jiang Yueshan raised the half of the tiger tally in his hand high and glared at Cao Yun.
Cao Yun did not answer, but instead took out the other half of the tiger tally from his bosom, which looked to match the crown prince's half perfectly.
The Crown Prince snorted coldly: "Since you accepted my tiger tally and led troops to the capital, why do you now disobey my orders?"
Cao Yun stroked the tiger tally with his right hand, and a smile finally appeared on his indifferent face.
"Your Highness, the Tiger Tally cannot mobilize the Roushan Army now."
As soon as Cao Yun finished speaking, the court officials, who had been completely disheartened, looked at the military formation with delight, as if they had heard heavenly music.
Wang Shu, who had just been acting as if his father had died, was instantly revived.
He looked around excitedly, but no one knew what he was looking at!
A smile also appeared on Bai Xiaoxiao's face.
Only the Crown Prince looked on with a mixture of surprise and uncertainty.
Pointing at Cao Yun, he angrily rebuked, "How dare you! What do you call me? Bai Xiaoxiao is a wicked concubine who brought ruin to the country. How can you, the dignified commander of the Roushan Army, take this forged edict seriously?"
"If my Tiger Tally cannot mobilize the Roushan Army, then who can?"
Cao Yun smiled but did not answer, until a familiar and clear voice came from behind the army formation.
"I can!"
The eldest princess, clad in full armor, slowly emerged from behind the army formation.
The crown prince, as if he had seen a ghost, suddenly took two steps back before he came to his senses.
He angrily berated the commander of the Imperial Guards: "Didn't I tell you to send men to keep an eye on her? How come she came out of the Eastern Palace and is with the Roushan Army?"
The commander of the Imperial Guards was completely bewildered. He genuinely didn't know what was going on and could only stammer and hesitate for a long time before failing to explain.
It was the eldest princess who took the initiative to say, "Fourth brother, please don't make things difficult for him. He's only ten Imperial Guards; I'm not completely helpless."
"Furthermore, I did not come out of the East Palace with Roushan Army; I went out of the palace specifically to find Roushan Army."
The crown prince was shocked upon hearing this!
At this point, there was still something he didn't understand.
No wonder the Roushan Army disobeyed orders; it turns out they had already met with Jiang Yueli.
However, the Crown Prince still refused to give up. He held up the tiger tally and looked at Cao Yun.
"Cao Yun, Jiang Yue Li is just a princess. She has no ability and no military power. As a soldier, how can you disobey military orders and actually take orders from a princess?"
"The soldiers of the Three Great Camps of our Great Zhou are all skilled warriors, known for their strict military discipline. Who in Qing Kingdom and Southern Frontier does not fear them?"
"As the commander-in-chief, you have disobeyed the Tiger Tally, ruining the reputation of my Great Zhou army. In a few days, this matter will spread throughout the world."
"When the enemy sees that the Great Zhou army is lax in discipline, they will surely harbor treacherous thoughts. If war breaks out again in the future, will you, Cao Yun, atone for your sins with your death?"
The crown prince was all bark and no bite; his hand holding the tiger tally trembled slightly, but his words were always based on moral principles.
Cao Yun chuckled softly, slowly shaking his head, finding the Crown Prince utterly ridiculous.
"Your Highness is overthinking this. Even if I were to disobey the Tiger Tally today, neither the Qing Kingdom nor the Southern Frontier would dare to make the slightest move."
"Does the Fourth Prince know why?"
The Crown Prince was naturally unaware that the strength of the Qing Kingdom was comparable to that of the Great Zhou, and he had never been afraid of the Great Zhou.
Cao Yun actually said that the Qing Kingdom dared not make any unusual moves, which is truly laughable!
Cao Yun ignored the Crown Prince's mocking expression and said arrogantly, "Because our Great Zhou has a War God in charge!"
"In the decisive battle at Juxia Pass that year, the Qing Kingdom suffered a great defeat, with more than 500,000 soldiers killed or wounded."
"The Qing Kingdom's border troops retreated to a hundred miles outside the Xia Pass, still showing fear. They retreated another hundred miles before daring to stop."
"Your Highness, who do you think led the army to a great victory over the Qing Kingdom back then?"
The prince's mind exploded, almost making him lose his balance. A name that was absolutely impossible surfaced in his mind.
He secretly thought he was going crazy and tried his best to drive them away.
But then Cao Yun said, "This person is none other than the Princess Jiang Yueli, the Protector of the Nation."
"With the Great Zhou War God here, how dare the Qing Kingdom and the Southern Frontier harbor any improper thoughts? Why should I, this general, obey your Tiger Tally's orders?"