Murong Xue knew that what Shen Lie said was true, and felt that the current situation was both mysterious and dangerous. She couldn't help but said in a deep voice: "This King of Huaiyang is really not simple. It seems that the battle at Hejindu was indeed a fake show by him. .”
"The drama is true. According to the reports from my subordinates, the attack scene was not only real, but also very bloody." Shen Lie said mockingly: "No matter how generous King Huaiyang is, he will not let his subordinates kill each other like this. . Therefore, Shen feels that there may be someone else who did it, but I haven’t figured out what kind of relationship they have with Li Kuang.”
Seeing that Murong Xue was thinking silently, he continued: "At first, I thought Li Kuang might have been injured. In order to protect himself, he had to mobilize secret private soldiers to protect him. However, the interesting thing is that before time passed, After a while, a small number of the elite soldiers in this group of soldiers suddenly moved away. I guess they protected Li Kuang from leaving the manor where he was hiding, and the others stayed in place to bluff."
Murong Xueqi said: "Is it so weird? It seems that Li Kuang was not seriously injured, otherwise he wouldn't have gone to such trouble to change places. What he did looked more like he was trying to spread suspicion. What should he be on guard against? people."
Shen Lie nodded and agreed: "Moreover, if this guy is still in danger, he should stay away from the place of right and wrong. But he neither asked for help from the imperial government nor reported the attack to the imperial capital in time. Obviously, he didn't care about the assassination at all. Tell me, what is he waiting for?"
"Could he be waiting for the court's reaction?" Murong Xue asked.
Shen Lie pursed his lips: "I have also thought about this possibility, but in the end I still feel that there is no point in doing so. Unless Li Kuang plans to hide away from people for the rest of his life, the imperial court cannot be easily abolished because of the death of the prince. Lose the crown prince. After all, the case is not complicated, and the truth will be revealed one day."
Murong Xue said solemnly: "But have you ever thought about it, if the prince dies unfortunately and Li Kuang comes out and tells everyone that he had a lucky escape before, won't he have a chance to inherit the throne?"
"The prince died?" Shen Lie frowned: "Then, in addition to assassination and emergencies, what other circumstances do you think could cause the prince to die suddenly?"
Murong Xue had never considered this issue before. He thought about it seriously and responded slowly: "Those who conspire to usurp the throne will die under punishment or in the rebellion."
Shen Lie followed this line of thinking and asked, "Can the prince be convicted of treason just because King Huaiyang was assassinated?"
Murong Xue shook her head: "Of course not. His Highness did not kill Li Kuang. As long as he investigates carefully, he can eventually clear away the suspicion. Unless the prince resists the investigation, or..." Shen Lie sneered: "Or, he has a close relationship with His Highness. People, take the initiative to rebel!"
"Thank you Guang!" Murong Xue reacted and couldn't help but exclaimed.
He and Shen Lie analyzed it step by step, and finally came to a seemingly unbelievable, but reasonable judgment: from the attack on the prince to the attack on the King of Huaiyang, all the links in between were linked together for only one thing. , that is to force Xie Guang to rebel!
"Now everyone in the government and the public regard Xie Guang and the prince as one. The prince is Xie Guang's support. If he encounters an attack, it will shake the foundation of the Xuanjia Army and make them have a desire for revenge. The logic is established!"
"Bianzhou is the territory of the Xuanjia Legion. Huaiyang King Li Kuang was attacked and killed as soon as he arrived here. The motivation and conditions of the revenge action are completely consistent, and the logic is established!"
"If the court investigates this case, Xie Guang will be the most suspect. And he believes that this is a deliberate frame-up by the imperial capital, so he will definitely refuse to hand over his military power and cooperate with the investigation. In order to protect himself, Xie Guang can only raise troops to resist. The logic is established!"
"The Xuanjia Army is also the basis for the prince's safety. Whether he is willing or unwilling, in times of crisis, we can only support Xie Guang to go all the way to the end. The logic is established!"
Shen Lie frowned and said through gritted teeth: "Once this logical chain is formed in people's minds, as long as we get evidence that Xie Guang mobilized troops without authorization, the charge of treason will be immediately confirmed!"
Murong Xue took a breath of cold air: "In this case, even if His Highness the Crown Prince is innocent and has no intention of rebellion, he will still be intimidated and become an indefinable traitor."
"I wonder if you have ever thought about it. This time is completely different from the last incident in the imperial capital." Shen Lie analyzed: "Killing the prince, resisting the investigation, and starting an army to rebel, all of which have nothing to do with the Holy Cult Covenant. In the face of the loss of legality and morality, The crown prince, the imperial court will never, and never need to, be soft-hearted again!"
Murong Xue slammed her fist on the table: "Damn it, King Huaiyang is so cruel!"
Shen Liewu shook his head: "Brother, we can't judge whether Li Kuang planned this incident at the moment. We can't say for sure, and it's not certain that there is someone behind the scenes. The most important thing now is to go there quickly. Inform His Highness the Crown Prince and ask him to try to stabilize Xie Guang, and don’t act rashly and let the traitor mess up the situation!”
The two of them had the same idea and rushed straight to the camp. At this time, they didn't care whether it was late or not, let alone whether Li Bing had gone to bed. They hurriedly found the chamberlain and asked for an audience.
After waiting for a long time, Prince Li Bing finally came out of the dormitory with his robe on and sleepy eyes, and saw Murong Xue and Shen Lie.
Murong Xue was very anxious. When she saw the other party, she quickly explained all the previous analysis in a concise and concise manner. Shen Lie was worried that the prince would be confused, so he kept adding explanations.
Only halfway through his words, Li Bing was completely awakened.
His face turned pale, and it took a long time before he said: "My dear friends, what do you think I should do now?"
-
Half an hour later, Xie Guang was led by his chamberlain to the royal study room to meet him.
It was Shen Lie's idea to summon Xie Guang overnight. He believes that the current situation has reached an extremely urgent level. Under the manipulation of the mastermind behind the scenes, the crisis is changing rapidly and cannot be delayed any longer under any circumstances.
It was not convenient for him and Murong Xue to show up at this time, so they could only hide in the side room for the time being and listen to the conversation.
After Xie Guang paid a courtesy visit to the prince, he was about to ask why he was summoned late at night. Li Bing directly told Murong Xue and the others' analysis without saying a word.
At the beginning, Xie Guang was a little shocked, but soon he put away his surprised expression and his face became increasingly gloomy.
After Li Bing finished speaking, he told Xie Guang: "Master, you must stay calm now. You must not act rashly and fall into the enemy's conspiracy!"
Xie Guangwu was lost in thought for a while, then suddenly snorted and sighed helplessly: "Your Highness, to be honest, I'm afraid it's too late now."
"It's late? Why is it late?" Li Bing was suddenly startled and stood up directly: "Master Taifu, what do you mean?"
Xie Guang stared into Li Bing's eyes and said solemnly: "Your Highness, I have long smelled the smell of conspiracy from the affairs of King Huaiyang. However, people often have no control over their own actions when they are in the situation. In order to prevent the imperial capital from suddenly To attack us, just two days ago, I had dispatched eight hundred miles of fast horses and transferred Xie Biao, the deputy commander of the Changdao Corps, to lead his troops back to Luoyi to escort us. In addition, I also recruited people along the way in the name of His Highness. The soldiers from the Twelve Prefectures of Hezhou have gathered. At this time, armies from all walks of life have either arrived here or are on their way here. It is already too late to stop everything."
Li Bing showed an unbelievable look of astonishment, plopped back on his seat, pointed at Xie Guang and stammered: "You, you, how can you be so bold?! You mobilized troops without authorization, and the troops were dispatched to the long-sword army far away at the border. This is a serious crime of attempting to rebel! Why are you so confused!"
Xie Guang's face gradually returned to calmness, and he responded calmly: "Deploying troops without permission? This is not the first time anyway. Your Highness, do you still care? To be honest, I feel neither regret nor regret now. What I regret is that , I couldn't calm down before and made a hasty decision. What I don't regret is that a situation like this will come sooner or later. If I can escape this time, I may not be able to escape the next time."
Li Bing was greatly puzzled: "Why did the Master say this? I can't understand."
Xie Guang shook his head: "Your Highness, actually since the Imperial Capital Incident, we and the imperial court have been at loggerheads. We are just trying to save each other's face. Trust is out of the question. You guard me all day long, and I guard you. What's the point? What? The reason why the Imperial City has tolerated us so far is simply because it is concerned about the Holy Cult Covenant and the stability of the court. As long as they have a chance to get rid of the shackles of the Holy Cult Covenant, they will immediately make up a reason to deal with us! Therefore, regardless of whether there is King Huaiyang or not In this matter, trouble will eventually come, and sooner or later we will be overwhelmed."
"Absurd! Really ridiculous!" Li Bing said angrily: "Since I took charge of the country, the Imperial Capital has never had any restrictions, and your memorial to Master Xie is almost always approved when it is sent to the court. The Imperial Capital's idea is very simple. , they just want a loyal minister and a good general, but you are willing to be a rebellious minister, it is really unreasonable!"
"Alas, the matter has come to this, it is useless to talk more." Xie Guang looked a little helpless: "His Highness could not listen to what I just said, because you are still imagining that you can inherit the throne smoothly. However, His Highness did not Knowing the truth that 'every man is not guilty of carrying a jade', the tree wants to be still but the wind does not stop."
Li Bing waved his hands repeatedly: "Okay, okay, I won't argue with you. Tell me, what should we do now? Can you send someone quickly to order all the troops to withdraw, especially your nephew Xie Biao, let him I will stay at Zijin Pass honestly!"
Xie Guang pondered for a moment and shook his head resolutely: "Your Highness, I can't do it! If it is like what you just analyzed, and the whole conspiracy is planned and promoted by King Li Kuang of Huaiyang, then the reason why I mobilized troops before I'm afraid there is no secret left in the matter. If the prediction is correct, the information about our army has already been transmitted to the imperial capital by now. Even if I immediately ordered to stop all troop movements, there is no way to get away with it afterwards. The end of genocide is inevitable! And your journey as crown prince has come to an end!"
Xie Guang is right. Once the army takes action, there is no turning back. Even if the case comes to light in the end and the truth is revealed, it is proven that King Li Kuang of Huaiyang was behind everything. However, the Crown Prince Li Bing and the Grand Tutor Xie Guang mobilized troops and assembled without the permission of the court. This is also a serious crime of treason and they cannot escape at all.
Stopping halfway doesn't mean it never happened. Do you think the Imperial City is joking with you?
Li Bing was dumbfounded and asked subconsciously: "According to you, what should we do now?"
"It's very simple!" Xie Guang said loudly: "We and other soldiers are loyal and support you in returning to Luoyi to ascend the throne and become the new king of Shengtang!"
